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| | | | | | | | Do you and each of you solemnly swear that all of the testimony that you will give in these proceedings will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God i Mr. Apaus. I do. Mr. Wanwnauz. I do. _The Cuamman. After yesterday's hearing I asked the staff to fur- nish me with the statutory authority that presently exists that could be said to relate to the FBYs intelligence activities, which was of course the subject of yesterday’s hearings. And I am furnished in Tesponse to that request title X VIII, section 533, of the United States , which reads as follows: - The Attorney General may appoint officials: 1. to detect and prosecute crimes aganist the United States; 2, to assist in the protection of the person of the President; and 3. to conduct such other investigations rexarding official mat- ters under the contro] of the Department of Justice and the Department of State as may be directed by the Attorney General. . Now yesterday, Mr. Wannall, we were told about.a series of activi- ties that were undertaken by the FBI, and indeed. initiated within the FBI, the purpose of which was to harass and discredit Dr. Martin Luther King. I am not referring to the results of any FBI investiga- tive activity, but rather, I am referring to these kinds of initiatives that were undertaken for the purpose of either harassing or em- barrassing or otherwise discrediting Dr. King himself. My first ques- tion is: was Dr. King, in his advocacy of equal rights for black citizens, advocating a course of action that in the opinion of the FBI constituted a crime? TESTIMONY OF JAMES B. ADAMS, DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE FBI, AND RAYMOND WANNALL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FRI INTELLIGENCE DIVISION Mr. Apaus. No, sir. - The Caamxan. So he was not then thought to be engaged in any criminal activity. In fact, he was preaching, as I remember those days, nonviolence, was he not, es a method of achieving equal rights 710 for black citizens? Mr. Apama. That’s right, his advocacy for civil rights. The Cuatruwan. His advocacy of civil rights was nonviolent and therefore legal in character. Mr. Apaus. That was not the basis of our investigation of him. The Cuairman. But as you have said, he was not engaging in any unlawful activity in connection with his advocacy of equal rights for black citizens. Is that correct ? i” Mr. Apams. Yes, sir. ; The Caarmsan. Well, is it true that at one time the FBI undertook to discourage an American college from conferring an honorary degree ~~ on Dr. King? Mr. Apaxs. Yes, sir. 7 ae The Cramman, On what legal basis does the FBI have a right to interfere, in an effort to discourage a college from conferring an honorary degree upon a man like Dr. Martin Luther King, who was not engaging in or suspected of engaging in criminal activity ? Mr. Apa. I know of no basis.