Death threats were made against Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has always been a peaceful revolutionary during his reign. The backlash — some from within his own close circle — was especially strong after he delivered his landmark anti-Vietnam War speech at Riverside Church in New York on April 4, 1967. That created a rift in the civil rights movement, deepening the displeasure of King’s harshest critics. A full year after his speech, Dr. King was shot by an assassin’s bullet on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. “The Truth Comes Out: The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.,” produced by Corbett Report, explores the causal link between the two events.
Featuring archival photos, footage, and stirring audio excerpts from King’s most famous speeches, the film is driven by interviews with William F. Pepper, King’s family attorney and alleged Assassin James Earl Ray, author of The Plot to Kill King. Over the years, at the behest of members of the King family, Pepper pursued a possible conspiracy behind the assassination. Its findings revealed some glaring inconsistencies in the original investigation, including pointing suspicious fingers at shadowy figures in the military-industrial complex.
The film uncovers the conspiracy of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Ray’s presence and exit before and after the assassination, the misidentification of the murder weapon, and witness testimony that contradicts the shooter’s accepted firing position. Pepper’s theory places the blame directly on a member of the Memphis Police Department and involves various other forces seeking to bury King’s popularity on the world stage by any means necessary.
Fifty years after King’s assassination, America continues to grapple with race relations, an epidemic of poverty, and global skirmishes that continue to threaten the nation’s moral standing. Perhaps now more than ever, it is important that we not only consider King’s mission in life, but also the circumstances of his death.
Carefully compiled and thoroughly researched, the truth is finally out: The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. presents a fascinating alternate history.
