Parting the Waters

by Taylor Branch

“high and dry”: Wiretap, Sept. 30, 1963, FLNY-7-560a.

  “baloney”: Powers, Hoover, pp. 333, 366.

  Hoover tried to cover: Schlesinger Jr., Robert Kennedy, pp. 288—89.

  “innermost sanctum”: “FBI Bulletin,” September 1963, Edwin Guthman papers.

  Hoover refused: Guthman, Band, pp. 264—66; int. Edwin Guthman, June 25, 1984.

  “underworld glossary”: NYT, Sept. 28, 1963, pp. 1, 6.

  Valachi dominated: E.g., Newsweek, Oct. 7, 1963, pp. 34—39.

  Kennedy published: “Robert Kennedy Defines the Menace,” New York Times Magazine, Oct. 13, 1963, pp. 15ff.

  among the President’s mistresses: Baker, Wheeling, pp. 78—79; int. Clark Mollenhoff, Dec. 7, 1983, and Robert G. Baker, March 31, 1986.

  woman named Ellen Rometsch: Des Moines Register, Oct. 26, 1963, p. 1; NYT, Oct. 29, 1963, p. 17; Newsweek, Nov. 11, 1963, pp. 32—33; WS, March 28, 1965, p. 1.

  “don’t change your minds”: Bland to Sullivan, Oct. 4, 1963, FK-251.

  Mansfield promised: Senate Rules Committee hearings, Oct. 29, 1963, pp. 1794—95.

  sent it to the Attorney: Hoover to RFK, Oct. 7, 1963, FK-250.

  “Courtney, speak to me”: RFK to Evans, Oct. 10, 1963, FK-171.

  privately with Courtney Evans: Evans to Belmont, Oct. 10, 1963; Garrow, FBI, p. 72.

  directly from Floyd Mann: Marshall to RFK, Oct. 4, 1963, Box 3, Marshall Papers, JFK.

  “no living with the Bureau”: Int. Burke Marshall, Sept. 26, 1984, and Edwin Guthman, June 25, 1984.

  stricken look: Int. John Seigenthaler, Dec. 15, 1987.

  “Our challenge now”: MLK “Confidential Memorandum,” undated, A/KP32f6.

  Amelia Boynton: Boynton to MLK, Oct. 8, 1963, A/KP21f10; Navasky, Justice, p. 128.

  swelling controversy: NYT, Nov. 7, p. 30, and Nov. 14, 1963, p. 14; New York Herald Tribune, Nov. 7, 1963, p. 8; MLK statement, Nov. 6, 1963, A/KS5.

  Marshall to apologize: Marshall to Rep. George Huddleston, Oct. 28, 1963, and Nov. 6, 1963, Box 18, Marshall Papers, JFK.

  nearly fired John Doar: Int. Burke Marshall, Sept. 26, 1984.

  Blaik and Royall promised: NYT, Oct. 11, 1963, p. 25; BW, Oct. 16, 1963, p. 1.

  talked about football: Earl Blaik, JFKOH; Blaik to RFK, Nov. 18, 1963, Box 18, Marshall Papers, JFK.

  secret protest notes: R. L. “Red” Holland, Jr., to Edwin Guthman, Oct. 3, 1963, Guthman papers.

  “bland, PR approach”: Blaik to Marshall, Nov. 1, 1963, Box 18, Marshall Papers, JFK.

  dissolve their assignment: Royall and Blaik to LBJ, Dec. 16, 1963, Box 24, Folder HU2/ST1, LBJ.

  cloud of flying fists: NYT, Oct. 14, 1963, p. 1; Newsweek, Nov. 4, 1963, pp. 27—28; Jet, Oct. 31, pp. 6—8, Nov. 7, pp. 6—12, and Nov. 14, 1963, pp. 8—15.

  “backward and forward”: NYT, Oct. 24, 1963, p. 32.

  All this came through: Wiretaps, Sept. 16, FLNY-9-292a; Sept. 21, FLNY-9-297a; Sept. 23, FLNY-7-553a; Sept. 24, FLNY-7-554b; Oct. 10, FLNY-9-316; Oct. 26, FLNY-9-332a; Oct. 8, FLNY-7-610a; Oct. 28, 1963, FLNY-7-558a; New York Letterhead Memorandum, Nov. 8, 1963, FJ-NR.

  upset, vacillating: Evans to Belmont, Oct. 21, 1963, FK-259.

  “obviously irritated”: Evans to Belmont, Oct. 25, 1963, FK-NR; Garrow, FBI, p. 73.

  “U.S. Expels Girl”: Clark Mollenhoff in the Des Moines Register, Oct. 26, 1963, p. 1.

  Duffy’s mission: Int. Robert G. Baker, March 31, 1986, and John Seigenthaler, Dec. 15, 1987.

  President in front of Evans: Evans to Belmont, Oct. 28, 1963, FER-22.

  Alone, Kennedy told Hoover: Hoover to Tolson et al., Nov. 7, 1963, FER-99.

  Kennedy changed the subject: Hoover to Tolson et al., Nov. 7, 1963, FK-NR. This appears to be a slightly altered version of the previous memo on the same day, in which the Rometsch material appears to be deleted in the copy released.

  “supported by facts”: Ibid.

  called Senator Mansfield: Hoover to Tolson et al., Oct. 28, 1963, FER-20.

  swarming with reporters: NYT, Oct. 29, 1963; WP, Oct. 29, 1963, p. 10; New York Post, Oct. 29, 1963, p. 5 (underlined in the FBI Rometsch file, with a handwritten note from Hoover: “Get after these angles promptly”).

  Hoover called the Attorney: Hoover to Tolson et al., Oct. 28, 1963, FER-24.

  President Kennedy obtained: RFK, pp. 645—47, JFKOH.

  not on his agenda: Senate Rules Committee executive session hearings, Oct. 29, 1963, pp. 1796-99.

  “go into West Germany”: NYT, Oct. 30, 1963, p. 1.

  wiretap Bayard Rustin: Baumgardner to Sullivan, Oct. 25, 1963, and Oct. 6, 1964, FR-NR.

  receded from the brink: Newsweek, Nov. 11, 1963, pp. 32—33; WS, March 28, 1965, p. 1; Senate Report No. 388, 89th Cong. (1965), Rules Committee, esp. pp. 50—53.

  “Boy, the dirt”: Bradlee, Conversations, p. 228.

  Vietnam crisis had built: As chronicled in the various editions of the Pentagon Papers and highlighted by selected NYT stories, e.g., June 15, p. 1, Aug. 25, p. 1, Aug. 28, p. 1, Sept. 3, p. 1, Oct. 6, p. 1, Oct 10, p. 1, and Oct. 27, 1963, p. 1.

  wrote Max Frankel: NYT, July 3, 1963, p. 8.

  “government’s coming apart!”: Schlesinger Jr., Robert Kennedy, p. 770.

  typical FBI career: Int. R. R. Nichols, May 29, 1984.

  up and running: Garrow, FBI, p. 77.

  schism in Detroit: MC, Nov. 2, p. 1, and Nov. 16, 1963, p. 1; Jet, Nov. 7, p. 4, and Nov. 28, 1963, pp. 18—19; PC, Nov. 9, 1963, p. 1.

  “white man says bleed”: Breitman, Malcolm X Speaks, p. 4.

  “Nowhere in that Bible”: Malcolm X debate with Bayard Rustin, undated, Tape 3014, PRA.

  “unjust blows”: Albany Letterhead Memorandum, Nov. 12, 1963, FBI 157-6-2-1434.

  “movement in Danville”: Garrow, Bearing, p. 306; New York Letterhead Memorandum, Nov. 4, 1963, FK-NR; Wyatt Walker interview by Donald H. Smith, SHSW/SP; Jack Greenberg to King et al., Nov. 7, 1963, A/KP31f18; Chase and King to W. J. Irwin, president of Dan River Mills, Nov. 18, 1963, A/KP31f19.

  Shuttlesworth was urging: Fred Shuttlesworth to MLK, Nov. 7, 1963, A/KP22f11.

  perpetual hiccoughs: New York memorandum, Nov. 18, 1963, FJ-246.

  “terribly uncomfortable”: Jones to MLK, Nov. 26, 1963, A/KP27f8; Garrow, Bearing, p. 307.

  “our New York Agents”: Baumgardner to Sullivan, Nov. 25, 1963, FL-NR.

  Kennedy was celebrating: Int. Ramsey Clark, Oct. 28, 1963.

  Washington barbers: Evelyn Lincoln to Lee White, enclosing WS article, Nov. 10, 1963, Box 19, White Papers, JFK.

  Pilcher’s game: White to JFK, Nov. 20, 1963; McGiffert to Wilson, Nov. 16, 1963; Wilson to White, Nov. 12, 1963; McGiffert to Wilson, Nov. 8, 1963; and Yarmolinsky to White, May 15, 1963, all in Box 19, White Papers, JFK.

  stripped the Oval Office: Lee White, LBJOH.

  “normal tone of voice”: Wiretap, Nov. 26, 1963, FLNY-9-363.

  Ruby was a Communist: Wiretap, Nov. 24, 1963, FLNY-9-361a.

  “Chinese wing”: Wiretap, Nov. 26, 1963, FLNY-7-617a.

  deeply hurt: New York Letterhead Memorandum, Nov. 30, 1963, FL-NR.

  refused to be photographed: Jet, Dec. 19, 1963, pp. 6, 7, 37.

  “unholy alliance”: Baumgardner to Sullivan, Dec. 19, 1963, FK-NR. Also in FBI #100-3-116, serial 711.

  “expose King as an immoral opportunist”: Sullivan to Belmont, Dec. 24, 1963, FK-NR. Also in FBI #100-3-116, serial 684.

  Lewis was among: Int. John Lewis, May 31, 1984.

  “made up their minds”: “Movement Soul,” Folkways Album FD5486.

  Freedom Vote: Background on the November 1963 Freedom Vote as a precursor of Freedom Summer found in Carson, In Struggle, pp. 97—98; Harris, Dreams Die Hard, pp. 30—34; Allard Lowenstein speech of Oct. 2, 1963, press conference of Nov. 7, 1963, and Moses speech of April 24, 1964, Stanford University Archive of Recorded Sound; Goodlatte-Bass to Lowenstein, Oct. 29, 1963, A/KP7f29; Robert Moses interview by Ann Romaine, A/AR; SNCC executive committee minutes, Dec. 31, 1963,
p. 28, A/SN6.

  “Negroes are blackmailing”: NYT, Nov. 30, 1963, p. 8.

  Yale and Stanford: NYT, Oct. 30, 1963, p. 24.

  “after him in Amite”: Moses to Doar, Aug. 2, 1962, enclosing press release, files of the Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice.

  “Thank you, Jesus”: Elizabeth Allen affidavit in COFO, Mississippi, pp. 30—37.

  “protect our own people”: Int. Robert Moses, July 30, 1984.

  cancel the SCLC’s credit cards: King memos to executive staff, Oct. 30, 1963, Dec. 5, 1963, and undated, A/KP31f6.

  Robert Kennedy dismissed: RFK to MLK, Dec. 4, 1963, A/KP24f21.

  forty elderly Negro women: Boynton to MLK, Nov. 30, 1963, A/KP21f10.

  dentist bill for Mahalia Jackson: Dr. R. C. Bell to Walker, Dec. 10, 1963; Walker to Bell, Dec. 19, 1963, A/SC4f18; MLK to Mahalia Jackson, Jan. 10, 1964, A/KP13f1.

  “let Dexter go out”: MLK interview by Donald H. Smith, SHSW/SP.

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