Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Martin Luther King and
Young Invited to 5/14/67 Paris Meeting of U.S. Movement." 1967.
Microfiche: 1986 Fiche #76 Document #000866
Date Issued: May 13, 1967
Date Declassified: NA
Length: 3 pages
NOT Sanitized
 FULL TEXT
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
DOCUMENTS
12-15 AM 5-13-67 LRC
To: The President
To: Secretary of State
To: Director CIA
From: Director FBI
(Secret - No foreign dissemination)
Meeting of U.S. peace movement representatives with North Vietnamese Representatives from
Stockholm, May Fourteen-Fifteen, Sixty Seven, Paris, France.
Reference is made to communication from this bureau May Eleven last which reported possible
meeting between North Vietnamese and Representatives of U.S. peace movement in Paris, May
Fourteen-Fifteen next.
On May Twelve instant a confidential source, who has furnished reliable information in the past,
and who is close to Stanley Levison, confidential advisor to Martin Luther King and a former
clandestine member of the Communist Party (CP), furnished information which disclosed contact
between Levison Martin Luther King and Andrew Young concerning North Vietnamese invitation.
King wanted Levison's evaluation of the invitation although he advised neither he nor Young would
attend. It was Levison's belief that King had made the correct decision since he could get into
trouble by dealing with those who were invited. Levison has no respect for their "realistic
objective" judgment: Therefore feels it would be exercise in futility and even misleading.
He feels group would exaggerate influence of peace movement in United States to point where wrong
impression would be created in minds of the North Vietnamese. King was in agreement with
Levison.
As an alternative to such a group making the trip, Levison suggested that since the North
Vietnamese want an honest appraisal of peace sentiments in this country, that a small group of
responsible, reasonable people sit down and make such an estimate and offer it to them through an
agency like U.Thant.
Levison felt if the North Vietnamese are being misled by lack of information by overestimating
peace movement, an objective appraisal by the group he suggested might cause them to make some
concessions and move toward the peace table. Levison felt that in good conscience the matter
should be pursued further since he envisioned negative publicity for the peace movement if it is
not done. In other words, a renewal of the old charge that Hanoi is basing its policy on the
peace movement in the United States might be made.
It was Levison's suggestion that people like John Kenneth Galbraith, King, James Wechsler, the
editor of the "New York Post", Dr. John Bennett, President of Union Theological Seminary
and Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, President of World Council of Churches, should be urged to made an
objective appraisal. Their report would be submitted as a minority report.
King was convinced that the United States would revoke his passport if he decided to make a trip
to Paris, therefore he could not take a chance on that. He felt that his job is in the United
States where he must continue to get Negro support against war and bombing. King said that if
opposition against the President could materialize to force cessation of bombing, he would go to
Hanoi to meet with Ho Chi Minh to urge negotiation.
The conference ended with Levison agreeing to contact Cora Weiss to dissuade her from making the
trip, and to follow his recommendation that more influential people such as Galbraith communicate
through U.Thant. Levison said that the results of his meeting with Weiss would be transmitted to
King when Levison sees King, possible in Chicago on May Twelve instant.
GP-1
End and hold for ACKS
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