Synopses & Reviews
Martin Luther King Jr was the most powerful and eloquent champion of the poor and oppressed in US history, and at the height of his fame in the mid-sixties seemed to offer the real possibility of a new and radical beginning for liberal politics in the USA. In 1968, he was assassinated; the movement for social and economic change has never recovered.
The conviction of James Earl Ray for his murder has never looked even remotely safe, and when William Pepper began to investigate the case it was the start of a twenty-five year campaign for justice. At a civil trial in 1999, supported by the King family, seventy witnesses under oath set out the details of the conspiracy Pepper had unearthed: the jury took just one hour to find that Ray was not responsible for the assassination, that a wide-ranging conspiracy existed, and that government agents were involved.
An Act of State lays out the extraordinary facts of the King story—of the huge groundswell of optimism engendered by his charismatic radicalism, of how plans for his execution were laid at the very heart of government and the military, of the disinformation and media cover-ups that followed every attempt to search out the truth. As shocking as it is tragic, An Act of State remains the most compelling and authoritative account of how King’s challenge to the US establishment led inexorably to his murder.
Review
No one has done more ... to keep alive the quest for the truth concerning the violent death of Martin Luther King. (Attorney General Ramsey Clark)
Review
No one has done more than Dr. William F. Pepper to keep alive the quest for the truth concerning the violent death of Martin Luther King who in courageous and important words once said 'The greatest purveyor of violence on earth is my own government.' In An Act of State, Bill pepper argues that very government violence was turned on America's greatest prophet of non-violent change. -- Ramsey Clark, US Attorney General, 1967-1969
Synopsis
The definitive account of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-324) and index.
About the Author
William F. Pepper is an English barrister and an American lawyer. He practices international human rights law from the US and from London, and has convened a seminar on international human rights at Oxford University. He has represented governments and heads of state, and has appeared as an expert on international law issues. He is the author of four other books and numerous articles.
Table of Contents
pt. 1. 1. Thebeginning--2. Thetelevision trial of James Earl Ray --3. Thecontinuing investigation : Loyd Jowers's involvement --4.New strands and connections --5.Raul and the Grabows --6. Theconspiracy deepens --7.New allies, revelations, and untimely deaths --pt. 2. 8. Thetrial --9. Theaftermath and a post-trial summary --10. Avision unto death and a truth beyond the grave --11. Thestate's case : the how and the why of the assassination --12. TheUnited States Attorney General's report --Epilogue --Appendices --Notes --Index.