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. Sees ce ~~ * anae tvey prwtines a ea eae fee OG am Fe - oo UNG VERS Ri ATES. Gov VERNMENT-= . mt oe Mr. -DeLoach ~ ©, D.- Del: rr coer |} Sullivan : Dre ee Ser ek oe Mr. Bishop — SUBJECT: - MARTIN LUTHER KING . : 2 (Previous request for OT. electronic verage - by Robert _Fo“Kennedy) ee ar LE OF INFORMATION BY DEPARTMENT Ed Weisl, Ir. came over to see me at 4:15 p.2., 5/17/68. > ass aoe» wes ™ ite asked me if the rumor was true that was going around Washington v) ito the effect that Bobby Kennedy had specifically asked the FBI to tap the telephone of Martin Luther King. I told Weisl I had not heard this rumor. I asked him what prompted his question. He EePiies that he had heard about this several times and, aS a matter f fact, a statement had appeared in a recent newspaper article. I reminded Weisl that Messrs. Gale, McAndrews, and I had briefed him regarding all activities pertaining to Bobby Kennedy's MLBDT LU UW HAM £44658 4 US ns es eee = TFSi gy Se SSS requests for microphones and telephone taps during his tenure as Attorney General. I stated this briefing, as he should recail, concerned the basis on which the Department pleaded immunity in the civil suit against our agents in Las Vegas, Nevada. a Sah AM Seach hn ea Pe tee ett cart ad Cuneta. 4-7 a . Weisl stated he remembered the briefing and, as a matter of fact, this was when the information first came to his attention. I asked Weisl why he was now asking me this specific question. lie repl ied because Drew Pearson had found out about this matter and probably would print it in order to embarrass Bobby Kennedy. AR Re I asked Weisl if he had discussed this matter with Drew Pearson. He replied in the affirmative and stated his father, Ed Weisli, Sr., bad also discussed the matter with Pearson. Weisl asked me if the FBI would have any objections to this matter being brought out before the public. I told him it appeared as if the matter had already been brought out before the public. I stated oe rae ce ar Po he should keep several things in mind, i.e., {1} regardless of how such an article was writton, a segment of the Negro population ef the United States would still fcel very harshly toward the FBI and (2) this would obviously cut off some of our sources of information. ING THEDIN 7 og- /06¢6 qo _ PHG é i 4 * . z - Weisi rebutted this statement with the fact that Richard vee Harwood of the Washington Pree, YEE printed the fact that i: = CDD:CSH (5) | BO MAY D3 wee — — 8 0 : _ ae n 1 312 COPr-SENr-re mn. ToLson | 1% MAY QA 868 Ly SER te sm arqiennnena, IT ce mre er cee Ey a Ee Fine cee