| Dangerous Friendship: Stanley Levison, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Kennedy Brothers Contributor(s): Kamin, Ben (Author) |
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ISBN: 1611861314 ISBN-13: 9781611861310 Publisher: Michigan State University Press OUR PRICE: $27.00 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: April 2014 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Civil Rights - History | Social History |
| Dewey: 323.092 |
| LCCN: 2013041626 |
| Physical Information: 0.78" H x 6.13" W x 8.93" (0.89 lbs) 268 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The product of long-concealed FBI surveillance documents, Dangerous Friendship chronicles a history of Martin Luther King Jr. that the government kept secret from the public for years. The book reveals the story of Stanley Levison, a well-known figure in the Communist Party-USA, who became one of King's closest friends and, effectively, his most trusted adviser. Levison, a Jewish attorney and businessman, became King's pro bono ghostwriter, accountant, fundraiser, and legal adviser. This friendship, however, created many complications for both men. Because of Levison's former ties to the Communist Party, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover launched an obsessive campaign, wiretapping, tracking, and photographing Levison relentlessly. By association, King was labeled as "a Communist and subversive," prompting then-attorney general Robert F. Kennedy to authorize secret surveillance of the civil rights leader. It was this effort that revealed King's sexual philandering and furthered a breakdown of trust between King, Robert F. Kennedy, and eventually President John F. Kennedy. With stunning revelations, this book exposes both the general attitude of the U.S. government toward the privacy rights of American citizens during those difficult years as well as the extent to which King, Levison, and many other freedom workers were hounded by people at the very top of the U.S. security establishment. |
Contributor Bio(s): Kamin, Ben: - Ben Kamin is a nationally known clergyman, teacher, counselor, and author of eight books on human values, civil rights, and spirituality. |