Abbreviated Gist History Of The Ku Klux Klan versus Young FBI
Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
During the latter part of the 19th century, the Civil War had ended in 1865 an a relatively small group of extremists formed and assumed the name of Ku Klux Klan but only lasted a few years and was no longer in existence by mid 1870’s. In 1915, a movie produced by D. W. Griffith was released. It was titled “The Birth of a Nation”. A segment of it glorified the white supremacist group which had existed shortly after the end of the Civil War. It was distributed nationwide and caused considerable controversy, however, it also aroused new interest in the Ku Klux Klan. Several groups were formed across the country.
Early FBI files show that Bureau cases and intelligence efforts were already beginning to mount in the years before 1920. Listed here are a few examples:
¦ In Birmingham, a middle-aged African-American—who fled north to avoid serving in the war—was arrested for draft dodging in May 1918 when he returned to persuade his white teenage girlfriend to marry him. A Bureau agent looking into the matter discovered that the local KKK had gotten wind of the interracial affair and was organizing to lynch the man. The agent came up with a novel solution to resolve the draft-dodging issue and to protect the man from harm: he escorted the evader to a military camp and ensured that he was quickly inducted.
¦ In June 1918, a Mobile agent named G.C. Outlaw learned that Ed Rhone—the leader of an African-American group called the Knights of Labor—was worried by the abduction of another labor leader by reputed Klansmen. “This uneasiness of the Knights of Labor,” our agent noted, “is the first direct result of the Ku Klux activities.” Agent Outlaw investigated and assured Rhone we would protect him from any possible harm.
¦ At the request of a Bureau agent in Tampa, a representative of the American Protective League-a group of citizen volunteers who helped investigate domestic issues like draft evasion during World War I - convinced an area Klan group to disband in August 1918. (The FBI versus the Klan Part 1)
WW1 ended in November 1918, but the Ku Klux Klan was just gaining momentum and grew rapidly during the 1920’s. The Bureau itself was also growing as more federal laws were being adopted and more federal crimes were being committed.
The 1920’s are often referred to as the roaring 20’s and for good reason. The nation was growing rapidly as was organized crime, immorality and lawlessness. But, alongside that growth came a huge expansion of the Ku Klux Klan and reportedly grew to six figure numbers by 1922 and then to several million before the decade ended. Here is an excerpt from their files which indicates how bad things had become in the mid twenties:
Matters were getting so out of hand in the state of Louisiana that Governor John M. Parker petitioned the federal government for help. In a memo dated September 25, 1922, J. Edgar Hoover—then assistant director of the Bureau—informed Director Burns that a reporter had brought a personal letter from Parker to the Department of Justice. “The Governor has been unable to use either the mails, telegraph, or telephone because of interference by the Klan … Conditions have been brought to a head at Mer Rouge, when two white men … were done away with mysteriously,” Hoover wrote. He also said that the governor was seeking assistance because “local authorities are absolutely inactive” and because he feared judges and prosecuting attorneys had been corrupted.
The Department responded, immediately sending four Bureau agents—A. E. Farland, J. D. Rooney, J. P. Huddleston, and W. M. Arkens—to work with the Louisiana attorney general to gather evidence of state and federal crimes. The agents soon found the bodies of the two men and pinpointed members of the vigilante mob that kidnapped and brutally murdered them. They also identified the mob’s leader—Dr. B.M. McKoin, the former mayor of Mer Rouge (FBI vs. KKK story part two)
This period was perhaps the most shameful period of our nation’s history. The Klan had become nationwide and they had infiltrated businesses, law enforcement offices and groups and to the extent, one was never sure he was not talking with one. Due to the large portion of racists and other undesirables, they were looked down upon by all law abiding citizens and normally all were considered the same although some portions were not. There were actually some groups which were law abiding and charitable, but they were overshadowed by the white supremacists and other hate groups.
The crimes committed in the name of its bigoted beliefs were despicable—hangings, floggings, mutilations, tarring and featherings, kidnappings, brandings by acid, along with a new intimidation tactic, cross-burnings. The Klan had become a clear threat to public safety and order. (Ibid)
(FBI photo:Special Agent James Ingram, on the Bureau’s battle with the Klan: “We had our problems, but FBI agents stood tall. Oh my goodness, did they stand tall.” )With the growth of the FBI and local law enforcers, plus the many state laws being passed against the radical groups, their numbers began to drop almost as rapidly as they grew. By the end of the thirties, their influence and most of their evil deeds had ceased or gone underground.
The Klan still exists but is now virtually impotent and shunned by the general public.
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