FBI Attempts to Replace MLK as Black Leader Through COINTELPRO

Following J. Edgar Hoover's declaration that MLK was 'the most dangerous Negro in America,' a January 6, 1964 FBI memo outlined plans to 'neutralize King as an effective Negro leader' and elevate a more compliant figure. The FBI used surveillance recordings to attempt to pressure King's associates, donors, and the SCLC board to remove him from leadership.