Erin Valois
September 14, 2010
Ernest Withers had seen it all. Described as the "original civil
rights photographer" he was present at some of the most important
events during the movement. He snapped photos at the murder scene of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Little Rock crisis.
Little did his subjects know that he was doing some other work on the
side. Memphis Commercial Appeal has revealed that Withers, who died
in 2007 at the age of 85, worked as a paid FBI informant.
The newspaper possesses numerous reports that show Withers was spying
on King and other activists, including the day before his murder when
he met with what the FBI thought were black militants. He provided
photographs and other vital information about persons of interest.
Withers' identity was revealed by accident when reports released by
the FBI failed to black out his name in documents released to the
newspaper under the United States' freedom of information legislation.
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