REACTION TO ASSASSINATION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING
Agency: CIA
Originator: CIA
From: WITHHELD
To: DIRECTOR
Document date: 4/7/68
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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REPRODUCTION OF THIS COPY PROMIBITEO

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111786643

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0714157 APR 68 CITE MEXICO CITY 5143

DIRECTOR

MHALPHA

LO FOLLOWING INFORMATION SUBMITIED ON ASSUMPTION THAT

HEADQUARIERS INTERESTED IN REACTIONS TO ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LATHER

KING; PLEASE ADVISE.

2. PER LIENVOY 5 APRIL 1968, IN CONVERSATION BEIWEEN LUIS

QUINTANILLA AND. HIS SISTER IERESA, THE LATTER QUESTIONS WHETHER

ASSASSINATION MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE WORK OF SOME MOVEMENT "POR

ABAJO", NOI EXACTLY IHE GOVERNMENI. LUIS SAID IT WAS THE

FASCISIS, THE CRAZY ONES .. THE FORCE THAT KILLED LINCOLN...

ALL THE ANTI-NEGRO ORGANIZATIONS OF ITE SOUTH. TERESA COMMENTED ON

FACT IHAI KING WAS NOBEL PRIZE WINNER, AND THAT JOHNSON NOW

IN PREDICAMENT. LUIS PREDICTS ACIS OF VENGEANCE, TERESA BELIEVES

COULD EVEN SPARK A REVOLUTION. LUIS SAIDHE HAD MET KING IN GENEVA,

REFERRED TO KIN AS "ELEGANT" AND LIKENED HIS DEATH TO THAT OF

GANDHI, "A CHAMPION OFFPEACE, LIKE ALL IHE DECENT AMERICANS... HE WAS

AGAINSI IME WAR IN VIEINAM", BOIN LUIS AND SISTER COMMENTED ON FACT

THAI PRESIDENI'S TRIP TO HONOLULU WAS DELAYED, WITH LUIS ADDING, IN

REFERENCE TO IME SOUTH VIETNAMESE, "HE HAS TO MAINTAIN THE FARCE

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THAT THEIR CONSENT IS NEEDED".

3. LIENVOY, SAME DATE, REPORTED EXCHANGE BETWEEN FORMER

WIFE (TISBE) OF COMMUNIST DOCTOR CARLOS

NOBEL AND HER SISTER THAL-A•

MMEDIATE REACTION OF BOTH WAS THAT KING'S DEATH CAUSED DELAY IN

FRESIDENI'S TRIP, AND THAI RACIAL REPERCUSSIONS WOULD BE CONSIDERABLE.

TISBE SAID "MY FRIENDS LOVED HIM VERY MUCH (MY FRIENDS ARE RICH); THE

ADVOCATES OF NON-VIOLENCE ARE WELL TO DO..•THE VIOLENT ONES ARE THOSE

WHO DON'T EVEN HAVE ANYTHING TO EAT... THEY BOUGHT KING OFF BY GIVING

HIM THE NOBEL PRIZE".

DEATH KLUG CAUSED BANNER HEADLINED IN AND EDUM LEADING

MEXICO CITZ DAILIES, BUT BECAUSE ALL OF THE MILI:: LUVERAGE CONSISTED

OF. AP, UPI AID OTHER AMERICAN WIRE SERVICE REPORTS, REPORTING IN THE

MEXICAN PRESS WAS OBJECIIVE ON 5 APRIL. LARGEST HEADLINE WAS 86 POINT

"LUTHER KING ASSASSINATED" IN LEFTISI DAILY "EL DIA", WHILE POINTAGE

OF HEADS IN ALL DIHER PAPERS WAS AVERAGE, INDICATING MEXICAN EDITORIAL

STAFFS WORKING & EVENING 4 APRIL NOI CERTAIN AS TO NEWS INTEREST

STRENGIH OF STORY IN MEXICO.. CENTER LEFT "EXCELSIOR", WHICH DEVOTED ALL

THREE OF ITS LEAD EDITORIALS TO JOHNSON WITHDRAWAL A FEW DAYS AGO,

DEVOTED ONLY ONE SHORT LEAD EDITORIAL WHICH ANTI-U.S.

GOVERNIENT IN TONE AND WRITTEN BY TOP EXCELSIOR FIGURE AND PROFESSIONAL

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ANTI-AERICAN

JULIO SHERER GARCIA. SECOND LEAD EDITORIAL WAS BY

LIQUIFIER RE HOPE FOR VIET NAM. AFTERNOON DAILIES REPORTED THAT

STOKELY CARMICHAEL CALLING FOR REBELLION, BUT ARTICLES WERE AP AND

UPI WRITE SERVICE STORIES AND CONTAINED NO MEXICAN EXPRESSION OF

SENTIMENTS FOR OR AGAINSI BLACK REBELLION. IN AMERICA.

5. ON 6 APRIL "EL DIA' FRONT PAGE TOP FEATURED MURALIST TYPE

SCRAICHBOARD ARTWORK DEPICIING MARIIN LUTHER KING IN ROBES IN THE

SAY WITH PERSONS WITH NEGRO, ASIAN AND INDIAN FEATURES IN BACK-

GOUND. HOWEVER, "ELDIA" FRONIPAGE WAS FAIRLY OBUECTIVE

DESPITE BEING A CONGLOMERATE OF AFP, REUTER, UPI, INFORMEX, CIK, EFE

AND PRENSA LATINA WIRE STORIES. FRONT PAGE ALSO FEATURED A

LENGTHY ANTI-WHITE-AMERICANS POEM ABOUT KING WRITTEN ORIGINALLY

BY LEFTISI RAYMUNDO RAMOS IN

1963. HEADLINES IN ALL OTHER NEWSPAPERS

EXCEPT "EL UNIVERSAL" WERE BANNER HEADS BUT IN COMPARITIVELY SMALL

IYPE. POLITICALLY VARIABLE "EL HERALDO" RAN 1967 RIOT PICIURES OVER

CAPTIONS CLAIMING THEY WERE TAKEN IN STATES ON 5 APRIL 1968. BIGGEST

AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE STORY WAS

PUBLISHED IN "EXCELSIOR", FILED

FRO MEMPHIS BY REPORIER FAUST @ERNANDEZ PONIE WHO RECENTLY FILED A

FALSE "EXCLUSIVE" INTERVIEW OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON. EXCELSIOR SERIES

SHOWS KING DEAIN SITE. FERNANDEZ PONTE DESCRIBES IN MINUTE DETAIL

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EVERYTNING TRANSPIRING IN MEMPHIS BUT TALKS OF MACHINE. GUN FIRE AND

IME PRESENCE IN TENNESSEE OF 16, DOD MEMBERS OF WHITE CHRISTIAN

GRGANIZATION OF AMERICA, "EXCELSIOR" AND MANY OTHER PAPERS CARRY PICTURE

OF KING IN COFFIN MOURNED BY WIFE AND PICTURES OF STKELY CARMICHAEL

CALLING FOR REBELLION ON IV. MOST. NEWSPAPERS SIMPLY CONFINE THEMSELVES

TO REPORIINGCIVIL UNRESI, ANGUISH AND VIOLENCE IN U.S. BUI "EL HERALDO"

CARRIES A CHESI-BEATING ARTICLE ENTITLED "UNANIMOUS CONDEMNATION

IN MEXICO OF EXIREMISM AND INTOLERANCE" AND IN ANOTHER ARTICLE

QUOTES VISITOR AND PLAYWRIGHT ARTHUR MILLER AS STATING THAT DEATH OF

KING NAY BRING ABOUI REVELOUIION

IN U,S.

6. LEAD "EXCELSIOR" EDIIORIAL OF 6 APRIL FORTUNATELY WRITTEN

BY LIQUIFER.. IT IS OBJECTIVE AND REASONABLE ESSAY EXPLAINING THAT •

WHILE MUCH MAS BEEN DONE LEGISLATIVELY IN THE UNITED STATES IN RECENT

YEARS TO BREAK DOWN THE INEQUALITIES OF RACE IN IHE U.S., THERE IS

A MARKED DIFF: RENCE BETWEEN THE TECHNICAL RIGHTS OBTAINED THROUGH

LEGISLATION AND THE DEGREE OF IMPROVEMENT OF THE NEGRO'S LOI. HE

EXPLAINS FURTHER INAI NEW

NEGRO PRESSURE GROUPS HAVE DEVELOPED SEPARATE

PROS AND OPPOSED TO IHE KING FOLLOWING, SOME OF THE MOTIVATED TO TAKE

DRASTIC AND VIOLENI ACTION BECAUSE IHE PROGRESS IS TOO SLOW. THE

ARTICLE ENDS DEPLORING THE NEGRO VIOLENCE AND POINTING OUT THATIN

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THE LONG RUN IHE NEGROES HAVELESS TO GAIN BY VIOLENI ACTION THAN BY

PEACEFUL POLITICAL ACTION.

7O IN SUMMARY THE MEXICAN PRESS AS OF 6 APRIL IS FAIRLY OBJECTIVE

IN REPORTING THE TROUBLES IN THE U.S. LAND HAS NOT BEGUN IO SERMONIZE

ABOUT THE EVILS OF AMERICA. THE LEADING DAILIES APPEAR ALARIED

AND INTRIGUED, BUT NOT HOSTILE TOWARDS IIEU.S., WITH THE EXCEPTION

OF THE POEM NOTED IN "EL DIA". IN CONTRAST LOCAL AMERICAN RADIO

STATION "VIP" IN MEXICO CITY HAS BEEN RE BROADCASTING NEWS AND

COMMENTARY PROGRAMS FROM STATES WHICH BORDER ON THE HYSTERICAL.

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