Conspiracy Theories Haunt the Assassination of MLK 55 Years After His Death

Conspiracy Theories Haunt the Assassination of MLK 55 Years After His Death

Doubts about James Earl Ray, Dr. Martin Luther King’s lone assassin, arose almost immediately after the civil rights leader was fatally shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. From the start, his aides voiced suspicions that a conspiracy was responsible for their leader’s death. Over time many Americans became convinced the government investigations covered up the truth about the alleged assassin. Exactly what led Ray to kill King continues to be a source of debate, as does his role in the murder.

However, today’s guest, Mel Ayton, believe the answers to the many intriguing questions about Ray and how conspiracy ideas flourished can now be fully understood. Missing from the wild speculations over the past fifty-two years has been a thorough investigation of the character of King’s assassin. Additionally, the author examines exactly how the conspiracy notions came about and the falsehoods that led to their promulgation.

Mel is the author of The Man Who Killed Martin Luther King, the first full account of the life of James Earl Ray based on scores of interviews provided to government and non-government investigators and from the FBI’s and Scotland Yard’s files, plus the recently released Tennessee Department of Corrections prison record on Ray.


In the short-lived freedom he acquired after escaping from the Missouri State Penitentiary in 1967, following being sentenced to twenty years in prison for repeated offenses, he traveled to Los Angeles and decided to seek notoriety as the one who would stalk and kill Dr. King, who he had come to hate vehemently.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Avsnitt(1077)

How Religion Has Influenced Politics Across History, From Ancient Sumeria to the 21st Century—Paul Rahe

How Religion Has Influenced Politics Across History, From Ancient Sumeria to the 21st Century—Paul Rahe

In our interview, Prof. Paul Rahe says that a liberal democracy that guarantees the rights of all citizens needs the guarantee that no one religion is established as the official state belief system. ...

18 Sep 201749min

Why The Potato Led to the Rise of Modern Europe

Why The Potato Led to the Rise of Modern Europe

The humble potato has done more for Old World peasants than any other food. Famine plagued the lower class from time immemorial. But once the potato was introduced to Europe in the 1500s and widely pl...

15 Sep 201711min

When Churchill Experimented with Chemical Weapons—Giles Milton of the Unknown History Podcast

When Churchill Experimented with Chemical Weapons—Giles Milton of the Unknown History Podcast

Winston Churchill is consistently ranked as the greatest leader in British History. But like any complex historical figure, he has his dark side. Most notoriously, but least well known, is his interes...

14 Sep 201726min

Dan Carlin of Hardcore History on Why the German Military Was Better in WW1 Than WW2

Dan Carlin of Hardcore History on Why the German Military Was Better in WW1 Than WW2

I was honored on this episode to interview Dan Carlin, whose podcast Hardcore History is the biggest history podcast in existence. It regularly features shows of 5-6 hours in length covering everythin...

13 Sep 20177min

The History of Pig Latin (ig-pay atin-lay)

The History of Pig Latin (ig-pay atin-lay)

Everyone's favorite code (it's not a language) has quite a storied history. Learn how Pig Latin became the fastest, most convenient way to sound intelligent when you didn't know any ancient languages....

12 Sep 20179min

Wait, Nixon Was Innocent?—Geoff Shepard

Wait, Nixon Was Innocent?—Geoff Shepard

Richard Nixon left the White House over 40 years ago, yet he remains embedded in American pop culture like no other ex-president. He was the body-less leader of Earth in Futurama, the five-time presid...

11 Sep 20171h 44min

How Was Alexander Able to Supply His Army Deep Into Asia?

How Was Alexander Able to Supply His Army Deep Into Asia?

It's one thing to conquer the known world and beyond without the benefit of modern communications like Alexander the Great did. It's another thing to supply tens of thousands of soldiers deep into hos...

8 Sep 20179min

Daily Life During the Civil War for Non-Combatants

Daily Life During the Civil War for Non-Combatants

More soldiers died in the Civil War than any other American conflict. But how did non-combatants fare? It depends on where you were and your life station. A northerner may barely know a war was going ...

7 Sep 201713min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
aftonbladet-krim
gynning-berg
p3-dokumentar
en-mork-historia
svenska-fall
mardromsgasten
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
skaringer-nessvold
blenda-2
killradet
rss-nemo-moter-en-van
hor-har
flashback-forever
kod-katastrof
rattsfallen
vad-blir-det-for-mord
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
rysarpodden
larm-vi-minns