Historic Jackie Robinson Telegram to JFK: Protect Dr. King
In a June 15, 1963 telegram, color barrier-breaking baseball legend Jackie Robinson urged to President John F. Kennedy “utilize every federal facility” to protect Martin Luther King Jr.
“The world cannot afford to lose him to the whims of murderous maniacs,” Robinson said in the telegram.
Baseball legend Jackie Robinson
At the time, King was in Mississippi for the funeral of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, who was shot and killed three days earlier. Evers played an important role in the desegregation of the University of Mississippi.
“Should harm come to Dr. King to add to the misery which decent Americans of both races experienced with the murder of Mr. Evers,” Robinson said, “the restraint of many people all over this nation might burst its bonds and bring about a brutal bloody holocaust the like of which this country has not seen.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Robinson was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, breaking major league baseball’s color barrier and becoming the first professional black player since the late 1800s. The latest biopic about him, “42,” opened on Friday to rave reviews.
Sadly, Martin Luther King Jr. was indeed assassinated five years later by escaped convict James Earl Ray.
John F. Kennedy, too, was assassinated, merely five months after receiving the telegram. Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of the crime, but was himself killed by Jack Ruby while in custody.
What if John Kennedy had lived and Jackie Kennedy had succumbed to the conspiracy plot? Read SAVING JACKIE K, a thrilling adventure to rescue the First Lady!
Tags: Assassination, Civil Rights, Conspiracy, Jack Ruby, JFK, Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Martin Luther King, MLK
