See Also:

   * An Act of State - The Execution of Martin Luther King,
     by William F. Pepper, Verso, Jan 2003 
   * William Pepper on the MLK Conspiracy Trial, 4/702 
   * The King Center - Trial Information 
       + Trial Transcript - Excerpt of Final Day's Proceedings, 12/8/99 
   * The Martin Luther King Conspiracy Exposed in Memphis,
     by Jim Douglass, Spring 2002 

The following is mirrored from its source at:
http://www.thekingcenter.com/tkc/trial/PressConf.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


           The Transcription of the King Family Press Conference
                   on the MLK Assassination Trial Verdict
                              December 9, 1999
                              Atlanta, Georgia



     Coretta Scott King:
     --------------------

     There is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the
     assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. And the civil
     court's unanimous verdict has validated our belief. I
     wholeheartedly applaud the verdict of the jury and I feel that
     justice has been well served in their deliberations.

     This verdict is not only a great victory for my family, but also a
     great victory for America. It is a great victory for truth itself.

     It is important to know that this was a SWIFT verdict, delivered
     after about an hour of jury deliberation. The jury was clearly
     convinced by the extensive evidence that was presented during the
     trial that, in addition to Mr. Jowers, the conspiracy of the
     Mafia, local, state and federal government agencies, were deeply
     involved in the assassination of my husband.

     The jury also affirmed overwhelming evidence that identified
     someone else, not James Earl Ray, as the shooter, and that Mr. Ray
     was set up to take the blame.

     I want to make it clear that my family has no interest in
     retribution. Instead, our sole concern has been that the full
     truth of the assassination has been revealed and adjudicated in a
     court of law.

     As we pursued this case, some wondered why we would spend the time
     and energy addressing such a painful part of the past. For both
     our family and the nation, the short answer is that we had to get
     involved because the system did not work. Those who are
     responsible for the assassination were not held to account for
     their involvement.

     This verdict, therefore, is a great victory for justice and truth.
     It has been a difficult and painful experience to revisit this
     tragedy, but we felt we had an obligation to do everything in our
     power to seek the truth. Not only for the peace of mind of our
     family but to also bring closure and healing to the nation.

     We have done what we can to reveal the truth, and we now urge you
     as members of the media, and we call upon elected officials, and
     other persons of influence to do what they can to share the
     revelation of this case to the widest possible audience.

     I know that this has been a difficult case for everyone involved.
     I thank the jury and Judge Swearington for their commitment to
     reach a just verdict.

     I want to also thank our attorneys, Dr. William Pepper and his
     associates for their hard work and tireless dedication in bringing
     this case to justice. Dr. Pepper has put many years of his life,
     as well as his financial resources, into this case. He has made
     significant personal sacrifices to pursue the search for the truth
     about my husband's assassination.

     I want to thank my son Dexter, who showed great courage and
     perseverance and who took a lot of unmerited and personal attacks
     so we could get to the truth about the assassination. And I want
     to thank my other children, Yolanda, Martin and Bernice who have
     kept the faith, refused to become embittered and have remained
     steadfast in their efforts to pursue the truth of their father's
     assassination.

     My husband once said, "The moral arc of the universe is long, but
     it bends toward justice." Today, almost 32 years after my husband
     and the father of my four children was assassinated, I feel that
     the jury's verdict clearly affirms this principle. With this
     faith, we can begin the 21st century and the new millennium with a
     new spirit of hope and healing.



     Dexter King:
     -------------

     I would just like to say that this is such a heavy moment for me.
     Yet while my heart is heavy, and this is a bittersweet occasion,
     bitter because we are dealing with tragedy, a tragedy that
     occurred some 32 years ago, but, yet today, we are still dealing
     with it. It is sweet because finally we know what happened. Sweet
     because this family has been vindicated, sweet because we can say
     that we are truly free at last. We can now move on with our lives.

     I want to give a real thanks to my mother, for her leadership and
     her tireless effort in carrying this burden all this time. You
     know we as children at that time were so young that we did not
     really understand what was going on.

     To my siblings, who have been here and been steadfast, to my aunt,
     we as a family have been unified around this effort. We finally
     got what we have been asking for, the opportunity to present
     evidence that we always felt would bring the truth out in a court
     of law. To have had 12 individual jurors to bear what we have been
     saying, that if the American public were allowed to really hear,
     they too would conclude what has now been concluded by those 12.

     I want to make a special thanks to Dr. William Pepper, for really
     if it were not for his efforts, we would not have known about
     this. We really would not have gotten involved. We can say that
     because of the evidence and information obtained in Memphis we
     believe that this case is over. This is a period in the chapter.

     We constantly hear reports, which troubles me, that this verdict
     creates more questions than answers. That is totally false. Anyone
     who sat in on almost four weeks of testimony, with over seventy
     witnesses, credible witnesses I might add, from several judges to
     other very credible witnesses, would know that the truth is here.

     The question now is, "What will you do with that?" We as a family
     have done our part. We have carried this mantle for as long as we
     can carry it. We know what happened. It is on public record. The
     transcripts will be available; we will make them available on the
     Web at some point. Any serious researcher who wants to know what
     happened can find out.

     And I just want to state for the record for once and for all, that
     those of you in the media who may innocently be reporting that
     inaccuracy, you know, because you may be legitimately ignorant
     about the facts, I want to clear that up now. Those of you who may
     be a part of the media manipulation, you too can hear this. The
     word that always comes forth first, that James Earl Ray confessed,
     is not true. He never confessed. He pleabargained. Any of you that
     understand the legal process understand that plea bargain is not
     the same as a confession. Why? Essentially it is put forth in an
     effort to get a lenient sentence. Also, it is an admission to
     having committed the crime.

     The second thing, is that this verdict was not, as has been
     reported, a conspiracy that said others were involved other than
     James Earl Ray. That is not what that jury voted on. I want to be
     clear about that. They clearly voted on evidence that stated that
     James Earl Ray was not the shooter, that he was set up, that he
     was an unknown patsy. That Lloyd Jowers, along with his
     coconspirators, that the jury also concluded involved state, local
     and federal agencies. I want to be clear about that, because you
     keep hearing duplicitous reports.

     I also want to put to rest for once and for all, that no one is
     qualified to speak on this case except the people who were there,
     the jurors, the family and, of course, the legal team. Just
     because someone says they marched with Dr. King does not make them
     an authority on this subject, whether they are political conduits
     or government publicists who continue to recycle these lies and
     continue to discredit this family.

     This is what happened to my father. There is a very distinct
     process or protocol that happens when there is an issue of
     national security. First, there is an attempt to discredit ones
     credibility. Second, there is harassment. And finally, if that
     does not work, termination or elimination.

     That is what happened to our loved one, because he challenged the
     establishment. He spoke out against the war in Vietnam. He talked
     about dealing with poverty, by taking poor people to Washington.
     There was also an interest in the political process. He became too
     powerful.

     Let us not forget, as my mother said, that it was the failure of
     the system to do the right thing by its citizens, who first and
     foremost caused and created a Martin Luther King Jr. and others to
     get out on the front line and be beaten, brutalized and even
     killed.

     And now, it is the failure of the system to do the right thing,
     which is now to find out who killed this man. Because they
     themselves will have to show bloody hands. So it is left up to our
     efforts as private citizens, as he was a private citizen who had
     to seek other means through private regress. We thank God for
     democracy.

     There is still in America a system, even with all of its
     shortcomings, that in some cases justice can be achieved. So we
     believe that this verdict speaks to that last bastion of this
     democracy. Where 12 independent people could hear something and
     that you and I am also given the opportunity to hear and to know.
     So in that regard we celebrate.

     Finally, we know that because this has occurred after 32 years, we
     can finally move on with our lives. We don't care what the justice
     department does. This is another misnomer. We did not do this to
     force their hand. I doubt seriously that they will indict
     themselves, for who polices the police? That is up to the American
     public. We, [the King family] have done our part. Those of you, if
     you find it in your hearts to get the "powers that be" to
     officialize what 12 independent people have already done, that is
     your business. We know what happened. This is the period at the
     end of the sentence. Please, after today, we do not want questions
     like; "do you believe that James Earl Ray killed your father?" I
     have been hearing that all of my life. No, I don't. This is the
     end of it. Thank you.



     Martin Luther King, III:
     -------------------------

     First I want to say, well done brother, well said. On behalf of
     all of the persons who worked with my father and as the
     spokesperson of the organization that he co-founded, SCLC, I don't
     think that I can say much more than what my brother Dexter has
     said, and what my mother has said. Certainly this has been a very,
     very long time coming. It essentially says that the truth can in
     fact come through. It essentially says that if you keep working
     forward, sometimes for some, even in the twilight, that one day
     you will reach the conclusion of truth.

     This could not have happened without a lot of people. I too, want
     to thank Dr. Pepper and his team, who have been working on this
     for almost 20 plus years. I too, must thank my brother, who
     basically sat us down and had the courage to encourage us to take
     on this issue that we knew was going to be a process of maybe,
     attempting to discredit this family.

     Some people have said that we are crazy. Some have stated that we
     were trying to do other things. The only thing we have ever tried
     to do was to seek that which is true. So while this is in a sense
     closing for us, or may be the end of a chapter for us, it might be
     just the beginning for others, as my brother Dexter has stated and
     my mother has stated.

     We are very pleased this day. I hope that this will give others
     encouragement to always seek that which is true. Thank you.



     Bernice King:
     --------------

     I guess I will speak, for I have never spoken before regarding the
     assassination of my father. I was only 3 years old. You may
     remember me as the one in my mother's lap at the funeral. I don't
     have much to say, because in a real sense I recall words that were
     spoken when the decision came down from the Supreme Court,
     regarding the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. The words spoken
     were that "God had spoken" from the Supreme Court. I think that
     God has spoken from 12 independent jurors in Memphis, Tennessee
     concerning my father's assassination.

     As somewhat the spiritual leader for this family, because I am an
     ordained Christian Minister, I have to truly give praise to God
     for what has happened. We cannot know that God is not a liar. He
     has spoken his word that I will never leave you, not forsake you,
     that I will be with you until the end of the earth. So I praise
     God for what may happen. I thank God for my family. My family
     praises God for Attorney William Pepper, for his diligent and
     tireless efforts.

     There is a word in scripture that says do not be weary in what you
     are doing, for in due season you will reap if you faint not.
     Today, we have reaped a harvest, not only for us alone, but also
     for this nation. And I believe that ultimately God is going to
     speak even more truth in regards to the assassination of Martin
     Luther King, Jr., because as we said from the beginning, even
     though we needed a sense of peace and satisfaction to have the
     record set straight, the reality is that it is not who killed
     Martin Luther King, Jr., but as we go forth into the new
     millennium, as a nation, but what killed Martin Luther King, Jr.
     Because whenever we get to what killed Martin Luther King, Jr.,
     then we will deal with the various injustices that we face as a
     nation and ultimately as a nation that leads this world. So I
     thank God for what has happened. I thank the American people for
     their voices that have been relentless in this pursuit in various
     ways. Even to those who have not been able to speak at this point,
     I thank God for their prayers.



     William Pepper:
     ----------------

     Ladies and Gentlemen, this great republic has throughout it's
     history, has been afraid to face the issues that Martin Luther
     King tried to confront at the end of his life. Dexter King said
     quite frankly, that Martin King opposed the war in Vietnam, and
     sought to bring the poor to Washington to rally for their cause in
     the halls of Congress. They took up tents in the shadow of the
     Washington Memorial to remind the lawmakers that forces of power
     in this land that do exist, and they have rights which were being
     denied to them.

     Because he took on those forces, powerful economic forces that
     dominated politics in this land, they killed him. He was killed
     because he could not be stopped. He was killed because they feared
     that half a million people would rise in revolution in the capitol
     of this country, and do what Mr. Jefferson said needed to be done
     every 20 years, to cleanse this land. This land has not been
     cleansed. This nation has not faced the problems that Martin
     Luther King, Jr. died trying to face and confront. They still
     exist today, the forces of evil, the powerful economic forces that
     dominate the government of this land and make money on war and
     deprive the poor of what is their right, their birthright. They
     still abound and they rule.

     The jury heard the background of Dr. King's crust. They
     understood, finally, the reason why he was slain. He was not a
     civil rights leader when he was slain. He was an international
     figure of great stature. He had a moral banner that he was waving
     and it was heard and seen all over the land. Here and in Europe,
     Southeast Asia. He had that kind of compelling presence. He was a
     danger and a threat to the status quo. So he was eliminated.

     What the jury also heard, from all of those witnesses for almost
     four weeks, was that he was assassinated because of the removal of
     the all police protection when he was in the city of Memphis. Even
     Black Firemen were taken away. His bodyguard staff were removed.
     Attack forces were moved back. On and on it went. And then the
     Mafia involvement with Jowers was put forth in excruciating detail
     of how this was planned and who was behind this.

     The man who controlled James Earl Ray was identified by
     independent witnesses from spreads of photographs they had seen.
     Like a British journalist showed a photograph of this man to his
     daughter and she said anybody could get this photo of my father
     identifying him heading others. A Portuguese journalist met with
     the family and was told how the government of the United States
     was protecting this man. Now, in their homes protecting their
     phones. Who is this person? Who is this person that the government
     continues to protect? Against what kind of assault?

     Then the proof goes into the broader conspiracy. The fact that had
     you known that there were photographers on the roof of the fire
     station? Had you known that two army photographers were on the
     roof of the fire station photographing everything? Two cameras,
     one on the balcony and one whisking around the driveway and into
     the brush area. Did you know ladies and gentlemen that the
     assassination was photographed? That there were photographs buried
     in the archives at the Department of Defense? No, you did not
     know.

     And you know why you did not know? Because there was no police
     investigation in this case. No house-to-house investigation.
     Neighbors as late as two weeks later stated "they never knocked on
     my door, now let me tell you what I saw." And she takes the stand
     and she tells what she saw. She tells that she saw a fireman tell
     the police that the shot came from those bushes there, and the
     police ignored him. Seeing a man run from an alley and get into a
     car and is whipped away right in front of the police. And the
     police not bothering at all to stop him.

     No, no, no, you did not know about any of this did you? They
     didn't talk to the Captain who ran the fire station. No one talked
     to that man in thirty years. He put the photographers up there. He
     took the stand and stated, "yeah I put them up there. They showed
     me credentials saying they wanted to take pictures." Where are
     those pictures? That proof has existed for all of these years.
     It's there. It has been buried.

     The tragedy of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. is a tragedy
     for this family here. This family in my view is America's first
     family because of their struggle and for what they have stood for,
     going back for generations, going back to 1917, the first world
     war period, this family was under surveillance by military
     intelligence back then. Up to the present time they have been
     feared. So that is a tragedy for this family. It is a tragedy for
     this nation and to the world that this man was taken from us when
     he was.

     The third tragedy was the failure of representative democracy to
     deal with this as a political act. This type of act which was
     covered up. How was it covered up? Well, the jury heard evidence
     as to how it was covered up for 31 years.

     And ladies and gentlemen, the evidence they heard ranged from
     murder, murder of a poor innocent cab driver who was putting
     luggage into a taxi cab in the driveway of the Loraine Motel and
     who saw the shooter come down over the wall, run down Mulberry
     Street and get into a waiting Memphis Police traffic car to be
     driven away. He told his dispatcher, "Oh, they got the killer. I
     saw him being driven away in a Memphis Police Department traffic
     car." What happened to that poor taxi cab driver? He was
     interviewed by the police that night and they found his body the
     next morning. NO record of that death exists. NO record exists. If
     we had not found people whom he had told that story, who heard him
     on the very night, we would have never known about this. Then we
     have to go to the directories and find out who was his wife and
     who he was. To see his listings in the directories in '66 and '67,
     and then in '68, see "Betty" his widow. He is dead, he is gone and
     he is history.

     So it goes from murder, down through bribery. James Earl Ray was
     offered large sums of money on two occasions: when he was in
     prison and a pardon if he would plead guilty. He did not do it.

     There was evidence of attempted assassination of James when he was
     in prison. Evidence was produced of how they tried to get rid of
     James, how they tried to kill him when he was in prison. We went
     all through all of that.

     Then ladies and gentlemen, the media. Because this could not have
     been covered up without the help of the media. This is not a
     condemnation of the good works of journalists who come and write
     stories and put them through to your editors and watch them
     publish, or television cameramen who do your jobs as you are
     supposed to do it. It has to do with forces that ultimately decide
     what gets on the air, what gets in print and what the slant is.

     So we put Bill Shat who is one of the leading experts on media
     (this information and propaganda used by government) on the stand,
     and he explained in detail how governments have done this
     historically and how they have done it down to the present time.
     He explained how they took this family on when they decided they
     were going to come out for a trial for James Earl Ray. And how
     they took Martin King on when he came out against the war in
     Vietnam.

     And remember, when Dr. King came out against that war, it made
     everyone come out against him. The media attacked him like there
     was no tomorrow. Just like the media attacked his family like
     there is no tomorrow when they did what was right. It is the job
     of the media to disclose. Not the job to hide. This has been
     covered-up, it has been hidden all of these years.

     Now the jury has spoken. And what did the verdict say? And they
     are going to be trotted out and here comes the spins, "Oh the
     Judge was asleep during a lot of the trial and he didn't hear a
     lot of the evidence. Oh there was a lot of hearsay there." Not
     mentioning the admissions against interest are omitted if there is
     hearsay.

     One thing after another like this by people who have never seen
     him, who have never heard him, who are not interested in the
     efforts, but who have got a locked-in position that says that
     there was a lone assassin and that is always the way it is going
     to be. Well let us hope that together we can somehow make a step
     so that we can end this nonsense.

     We can end this nonsense. We can end this cover-up. We can say for
     once and for all that a jury has spoken. They heard everything. If
     there is any decency left in this system, it is the fact that you
     can get 12 people who can hear what other people have to say, they
     can review documents, there are about 50 exhibits that they were
     able to review, and they can make up their own minds. The defense
     tried several times to have the case dismissed. The Judge refused.
     So it did go to a jury and that jury has spoken.

     Let's hope this is a forum, which we can say, is healing. We have
     reached the truth. The family is satisfied. What the government
     does, the government can do. The government may do now what it has
     never done before. If they want to take it up now, let them take
     it up.

     The real, real ongoing, almost criminal aspect of the case that
     still exists, is the fact that this family privately had to do
     what the government has not done and would not do. Make no mistake
     about it, all the evidence that was heard in that court over the
     course of the last 30 days has been available for 32 years. It has
     been there right in front of them. All they had to do was look,
     ask questions, believe credible people who were willing to talk to
     them, and not further go away because there were black shop owners
     and they didn't know what they heard when he heard the man say,
     shoot the son of a B when he comes on the balcony. He didn't know
     and he didn't understand that. This was a businessman from
     Somerville.

     In the traditional history of the country, where a person who was
     a friend and a colleague of a victim, only for one year, the last
     year of his life, but during that year the friend and colleague of
     the victim decided 20 years later the convicted murderer of that
     victim. Then eventually came to represent the family in the final
     quest of justice. That has been the process that I follow. That
     has been the result.

     We have at last obtained justice. Martin King was always fond of
     saying in moments of trial, that truth crushed to earth, no matter
     how much it is crushed, will always rise again. Ladies and
     Gentlemen, in that courtroom yesterday in Memphis, Tennessee,
     finally that truth crushed to earth rose again. Today we
     acknowledge that truth.





     Dexter King: I want to thank all of you for being so patient and
     for coming out to cover this. At this moment, we have now ended
     our formal statements and would now like to open it up for
     questions.

     Answer to Question by Dexter King: What should happen next as you
     have heard, we really have no control over. I don't mean to sound
     rash or insensitive, but we really don't care at this time. As my
     father used to say, in healthy self-interest, this family is now
     hoping to cleanse and to heal and move. Closure. This is it for
     us. We are here to say that we feel that we can move on from here.

     Answer to Question by Dexter King: No, no, Mr. Jowers did name
     names. That is another misnomer. Why is there so much
     misinformation. The only thing I can say is that if anybody wants
     to really take time they should read these transcripts.
     Ironically, I happen to get a call from Mr. Jowers on my way over
     here on my cell phone. He called to basically say that he wanted
     the family to know and to express to you, Mother Dear, that he
     never wanted nor intended any harm to us and that he is glad this
     is off of his chest. He is glad the jury ruled the way they did.
     He said that his attorney does not even know that I am talking to
     you, and I don't care. I don't have much longer and I don't care
     what is going to happen to me now. He is very afraid of an
     indictment. That is the reason he was never willing to come
     forward. Dr. Pepper kept telling him that he did not have to
     worry, because they do not want the truth, so you are not going to
     get indicted. If they indict you, that will throw away all the
     "official" story, which we now know is not

     Question: There are many people out there who feel that as long as
     these conspirators remain nameless and faceless there is no true
     closure, and no justice.

     Dexter King: No, he named the shooter. The shooter was the Memphis
     Police Department Officer, Lt. Earl Clark who he named as the
     killer. Once again, beyond that you had credible witnesses that
     named members of a Special Forces team who didn't have to act
     because the contract killer succeeded, with plausible denial, a
     Mafia contracted killer.

     Question: I'm sorry, my question goes to the family's feelings.
     There are those who feel that as long as this greater conspiracy
     that has remained faceless and nameless and until there are faces
     and names attached to that conspiracy that justice will not be
     served. The family doesn't share that view?

     Dexter King: Well no, because we know. I guess I am not making
     myself clear. There is an institutional framework on how these
     things happen. So if you want to go back and do the research for
     those who want to know who gives an order.

     I do know certain things about the military, and the
     commander-in-chief has to make certain commitments for certain
     troops to be committed domestically. In this instance, there was
     denial that the troops were not there, Special Forces were not
     there. But in fact, with the Captain of the Firehouse, which Atty.
     Pepper had on the stand, said he put the Army Special Ops.
     photographers on the roof. There was another witness that talked
     about all the Army Officers, a Memphis Police Officer, an
     inspector who talked about all the army brass that was there. He
     said that he had never seen that much Army Brass in his office
     ever before.

     So all of this information is there. It's just that no one has
     really looked. This is the most incredible cover-up of the
     century. I can't even believe it. It is mind-boggling. But again,
     if anybody wants to go do the research, and we do live in an age
     of microwave society and everybody wants things like that (very
     quickly), but if anyone is serious about sitting down and going
     through this, they will come up with the same conclusions as we
     did and 12 other people did as well.

     Question: So the family doesn't necessarily want to see those
     people spend time in jail?

     Dexter King: No, we were never in this for a retribution of
     justice. We follow the spirit of our loved one. He forgave the
     woman who almost took his life, if you recall, when he was
     stabbed. I personally witnessed my grandfather forgiving the
     killer of his wife when I was 13 years of age. The only thing that
     this family and I have ever talked about is reconciliation.

     We are a family of love. We try to walk the walk and not just talk
     the talk. We are never looking to put people in jail. What we are
     looking to do is cleanse the society because these ills still
     exist. Just as my sister stated so eloquently, it is not who
     killed Martin Luther King, Jr., but what killed him and why was he
     killed. He was killed because he was addressing injustices that
     today still have not been addressed.

     Dexter King: So once again, we want to thank each and every one of
     you for coming out. We are hopeful about whatever the powers that
     be decide, but that is on them. But we caution you, be wary. You
     will be hearing attacks that the family is in this for money. I
     can tell you and I can show you the receipts. We have spent a lot
     of money. And we have lost a lot of money because of this. There
     is no gain.

     As you know, the verdict rendered a small, nominal sum. We
     requested a hundred dollars because there had to be some damages,
     because it was a wrongful death suit. We did that because we were
     never in this for money. We spent money. We had to pay for some
     70-odd witnesses to appear and all their expenses. But you cannot
     put a price on freedom. And certainly you cannot place a price on
     death. So the thing we hope for is that we can move forward into
     this new millennium, coming into the Christmas Season.

     Question: Can you tell us something from your conversation this
     morning with Mr. Jowers?

     Dexter King: He simply stated that he wanted me to know, as well
     as my family and my mother (he asked me about my mother), that he
     is sorry for all of this. But he said that he is glad that it
     turned out the way it did. He said what happens, happens. That he
     does not know what will happen to him as he gets to his age. He is
     still fearful as a result of all of this that he is going to go to
     prison. The first time I met with him, that was the first thing he
     was concerned about. He said, "I don't want to go to jail. I am an
     old man and I am so afraid." Even though the Justice Department
     granted him federal immunity, he is concerned and worried about
     the issue of state immunity, the state of Tennessee. We assured
     him that if that were the case, we would certainly make a stand to
     grant immunity. We would support that kind of thing.

     Question: Did he say anything in this conversation about his role
     in the assassination?

     Dexter King: Well not in this conversation, but on several other
     occasions. At least two occasions that I met with him. At another
     time he actually called names. It was somewhat of a confessional
     thing, because he would call me sometimes late into the evening
     just to talk. You could tell it was a cleansing process. Why does
     a person who is almost, you know, terminal in a sense. . . . even
     James Earl Ray was offered a liver transplant he would've just
     said that he did it. Why would someone take that to their graves?
     Especially if they had a chance to have a little more life?

     Question: This is to Mr. Pepper. Was there anything that came out
     in the trial that you didn't know about?

     William Pepper: Lydia Cayton came forward when the trial was about
     to begin. She lived just down the street from the Lorraine Motel.
     On the afternoon of the shooting, she heard the shots and grabbed
     her two children and ran down to the corner, about 8 minutes after
     the shooting. One of her neighbors stood with her. She was the one
     who saw a man run from an alley that connected to a building of
     the rooming house, and get into a Chevrolet Corvair and drive
     around the corner, while the police stood there on the corner of
     Mulberry. She also saw a fireman screaming at the police that a
     shot came from the bushes. Ms. Cayton's evidence and courage is
     very important. The courage of the Fire Department Captain to come
     forward and talk about putting the photographers up on the roof.
     These people were concerned and frightened. That I think was
     significant.

     The testimony of the main witness who talked to the cab driver who
     was killed, Louis Ward. And the taxi driver who talked about the
     network television team, who drove to the airport after they had
     given Mr. Jowers a lie detector test. This was very important.
     They gave Mr. Jowers a lie detector test at one point, and you
     will hear that Mr. Jowers failed the lie detector test. They came
     in and told him that he failed at the end of it. While this team
     was being driven to the airport, they were talking about Jowers,
     and because he knew Mr. Jowers, his ear perked up. He heard the
     examiner in the front seat say, "There is nothing I can do to get
     him to waver." And the passengers in the back, asking, "Well how
     does a man retain so much detail like that? How can he recollect
     that so accurately?" The front seat passenger said in reply, "I
     don't know, I couldn't get him to lie." And when a program aired,
     Jowers was still shown as failing the lie detector test.

     That cab driver came forward. Another cab driver and security
     guard, who lived another 15 years, a man called James McGraw, came
     forward and he tried not to testify, but eventually he did. He
     said, that a close friend of Mr. Jowers got drunk and every time
     he was intoxicated over a period of 15 years, and they lived
     together, he would always go back to one thing he did, that he,
     McGraw, after the assassination, was told by Jowers to take this
     rifle and get rid of it. He threw it off of the Memphis Arkansas
     Bridge into the Mississippi River. That is where the murder weapon
     has lain for 32 years. McGraw said he would never talk about it
     when he was sober, always when he got drunk and the details were
     always the same. Always the same. He found him credible and McGraw
     was very close with Jowers.

     That is the kind of evidence that emerged as the trial went on.
     The jury found all of this persuasive. A Head of Intelligence, The
     United States Department admitted that he had no trained
     intelligence officers in his office and that even they were a
     nuisance at one point and time. The man who headed the Protective
     Unit for Dr. King was never informed of the last visit. He stated
     that they were told to protect him every time he came in early,
     but not the last time. The man who learned about the change in Dr.
     King's, that he was supposed to be in room 201, a courtyard room.
     That was then changed to room 206, which was an exposed balcony
     room.

     Then there is the whole thing about the bushes . . . the bushes.
     So many witnesses saw figures in the bushes and the shooter coming
     down over the bushes and running. You know the next morning at 7
     o'clock, Inspector Sam Evans, from the Memphis Police Department
     pulled Maynard Styles, the Administrator of the Public Works
     Department and told Mr. Styles to get a team out there and cut
     those bushes down. At seven a.m., on the 5th of April, a team is
     sent to cut down the bushes. Now what does that mean in police
     terms? It means that you have totally devastated and changed the
     scene of a crime so that it is never the same. If there are no
     bushes, there can be no sniper. So that is the kind of thing that
     they did. This unfolded throughout.

     The most moving testimony was probably that of a former government
     operative, a very credible guy of the National Security Council,
     who is now dying of liver cancer. His best friend was on the
     sniper unit, 20 Special Forces team there. He told how he learned
     about that unit and how they were assigned and what they were to
     do from his buddy back in the seventies. His testimony was
     riveting, even though it was on a screen, because he was dying
     from liver cancer and could not attend.

     There is so much evidence that emerged in the court about a whole
     range of activity that if I summarize I am going to leave
     something out. I encourage anyone who is interested to go and
     review the records, to digest the records and look over them, and
     the exhibits that are all available. There are certain military
     documents and certain names in there, even some of my working
     papers are available.

     I am asked to remind you that if anyone wants to communicate with
     me by email, you can at: wpinclawus@aol.com. So I am happy to
     receive any inquiries at any time and any information at any time.
     We have come to the end of a long road. I encourage you to go and
     put questions to whoever you want to in government, for it is now
     in the hands of the government to do whatever they will do.
     Hopefully, it will not be to continue covering this up. But I
     would have to be skeptical of any other result. Thank you.





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