Luncheon. 19, 1962. S on july this speech came one week after his second arrest in albany, georgia. His press club taught k more than a year before dr. Kings most famous i have a dream speech on the national mall. Here is how the evening will work. First, joe madison will interview mr. Booker who was a club member, who not only attended the speech in 1962, but he helped organize it. As a member of the clubs Speakers Committee. Second, joe will interview, by telephone, dr. Cb jones, dr. Jones helped write the speech. Then, we will hear four speech excerpts, in the order that dr. King said them. , and wehear his opening will hear his closing. And we have to excerpts in the middle of the speech. There will be a Panel Discussion of these first, middle, and ending section after each section. One of these middle excerpts is a video clip. Everything else is audio, but there is one video clip. This video clip is the only known video clip of this speech to exist. Film of no video or this event beginning to end that we know of, and we have searched far and wide. At the time we were doing these National Press club lunches in the 1960s, we only recorded them, we did not film them all, as we did today. Video of there is no the entirety of the speech, and we are not able to play, for you, the entirety of the speech in the q a because that would take too long, i want you to know that this video clip, the audio, and the entire speech, is org mlk. Ebsite at press. You will also see a printed transcript of this entire event beginning to end, including all the questions he was asked that day, that is available on the website, feel free to access that and learn a lot more about this speech after tonight. After we hear the clips and discuss them, joe will interview journalist bruce johnson, and joe will close the program promptly at 9 00 p. M. Dr. Kings appearance here was one of the most significant things to ever happen at the National Press club. And to mark the significance of this event, and let me tell you, it is long past due, we have made a plaque that we are bringing out for the first time here today, and i said at the beginning that we would do this. We will put this plaque right outside the stores of the ballroom just to the left, there is a photo of lbj and nexen there right now. Lbj and nixon are going to get moved, they will not go away, but they are going to get moved to get moved because that is a highly prominent spots to have observed this highly significant event happened and that plaque will be at the National Press club, which really is a Living Museum if you walk around and look at the walls. That plaque will be there as long as the press club stands. And while i am only president for another week, believe me, if i ever come back and do not see that placating there, there will be nonviolent direct action to make sure that that plaque is returned. [laughter] [applause] i dont think anybodys ever going to move it, frankly, because we are all in all of what were all going to hear tonight, and i heard some of the excerpts earlier this afternoon and it sent chills down my spine with no further a, i want to introduce mr. Joe madison. [applause] joe thank you. For more than half a century, Simeon Booker devoted his career to journalism, race relations, black politics, and watched the Civil Rights Movement evolved from its very beginning and the stories that he and his fellow black journalists told and the things they encountered are chronicled in a book that he has written, a biography, and putting this panel together, the first thing that we had to do was make sure that all of the participants are alive and here with us. When you consider it has been 50 plus years, we wanted to dig deep and far and get people who understood exactly what went on. It is interesting, the National Press club, the very first beaker first beaker as you heard, was Martin Luther king, jr. You begin to wonder why it took so long to have the first speaker in 1962, you couldve had Jackie Robinson, thurgood marshall, marian anderson, the list goes on and on. Pretty washington. Then you realize, they did not invent the first invite the first woman to the press club until 1971. And Nikita Khrushchev made that happen. So, we have come a long way and the person who has watched that journey is Simeon Booker. Simeon booker, ladies and gentlemen, if you do not know, jet magazine would not be jet magazine without Simeon Booker and his piece. [applause] carol, isis wife, right beside him and lets give her a round of applause. [applause] joe now, first of all thank you for being here. Lets get to this, you were on the committee that actually dr. Mlk to beite the speaker, to the best of your recollection, what went on in that meeting . What was it like . And carol, you can fill in, because i know you have an extensive paragraph in his autobiography about that meeting, but what you remember, simeon . Simeon [indiscernible] carol he did or member when he wrote this book. He has asked me to lets see if this my jar his memory. Carol and 97, memory fades with every day. From shocking the conscience. 2013, wrote this in published by University Press of mississippi, ironically. He writes that he remembered the first time dr. King spoke at the club in 1962. Simeon was only the second member of the club. Joe the second africanamerican . Carol the second africanamerican. Was sponsored for membership, he was urged to be an active member and he was. He joined the Speakers Committee, which was one of the most important committees because it was the committee that chose the speakers for these wonderful newsmaker luncheons, here at the club. Proposed that dr. King speak. Dr. King had gotten some notoriety, a lot of press because of the montgomery bus s, but here never been interviewed by the National Press. Simeon thought the time had come. It was a year before the march on washington and the i have a dream speech. And it was two years before dr. King became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. So, he still had not been named time magazines man of the year, either. Magazine had had dr. King on , and ifr at least twice you know the history of jet magazine, the cover was usually a young starlet, a pretty, young woman. It was a newsmaker, taking the cover. That was rather unusual for johnson publishing. Jr. Haduther king, never addressed a large audience of the National Press. Also, at the same time, in 1962, fbi, even earlier, the itself, will admit that j edgar asver had targeted dr. King a possible pawn of the communist movement in america. Anybody who participated in civil rights at that time was suspect by the fbi as being not only a troublemaker, but communist pawn of the movement. Pressedgar hoover use the and people that he knew to send out rumors and i think it might have been that, more than any racial issue, that caused dissension on the committee. Joe to invite him to speak. Carol because the chairman of the committee resigned in protest when the committee accepted simeons recommendation to let dr. King speak. Joe the chairman of the Speakers Committee . Carol yes. This speech, itself, as it will get to later on, is a magnificent speech. And you can tell from the questions that follow debt, that the seat had been planted because there is one question about whether it had been written by Stanley Levinson, a new york lawyer who was considered by the fbi to be communist tainted. Joe maybe i can get closer with his microphone, so if you could, is there anything, simeon, that you have heard that you want to add or day carol pretty much get your thoughts there that you put down in the book . Carol can you hear joe . ; yes. Carol is there anything you add to my brilliant summary . [laughter] carol are going home together tonight. Simeon keep talking. [laughter] [applause] joe i got that treatment when i first walked into his office many years ago. Keep talking. Carroll sometimes its better when im not in the room, because then he will talk. If im here, he will say, you do it. Come on, simeon, talk a bit. ; about what . Carol dr. King. Simeon ive almost forgotten him. Simeon when hesk was on the freedom rides, how did he feel when the back of the bus when people were being beaten up and he will say, i dont remember. 50 years later, he is in the most vivid event especially when there is one event after another. Mind, i willont tell you what i want to do, which is to go to another individual who is out in San Francisco at Stanford University. I had the pleasure of interviewing him on several occasions, he was dr. Kings advisor and lawyer and by the way, his speechwriter. It was by chance that we were discussing this program that i mentioned we would be doing this and he said, i helped write that speech. Is dr. Clarence jones, who is at Stanford University at the Martin Luther king jr. Research and education institute. Jantz, i know you are a long way away, but can you hear me . Dr. Jones i can hear you. Joe can we give them a round of applause . [applause] have joe we have given the background of this. To important was the speech dr. King at the time . Dr. Jones we thought it was an important speech. First of all, let me just a for the record, this speech was fundamentally his speech, but there was a lot of discussion about it. About the material he should consider was jointly done with Stanley Levinson. The fbi was right, Stanley Levinson and i played a great role in preparing the text of the speech. A rather cynical his plannedard appearance. Joe why was that . 1962,nes in [indiscernible] involved in a Campaign Offer georgia. Public facilities. Dr. King had been in and out of georgia. Someone, i dont think he says it, but im one said to me, i dont think that there has ever been a need growth that has ever spoken at the National Press club. , i find thatell hard to believe, but i guess it is. I called up lily martin louis martin on the Democratic National committee. Joe would you mind telling his audience who louis martin was at the time . Dr. Jones he was the highestranking black and the democratic party. Id, [indiscernible] i said, why has it taken so long to get a negro at the press club . And he said, you need to ask them. I said, that is what i am asking you. Certainly say we, Martin Luther king, jr. , Stanley Levinson, the particularly dr. King, we were focused on albany, georgia. To speakw the occasion at the press club. At him speaking about, not just albany, but the broader issue of race in america, because yes, he had received a lot of prominence from the montgomery bus boycotts, and by 1960 had been on the cover of time magazine, but a large majority of america, they just knew that there was a preacher [indiscernible] knew,idnt know what we that he was probably as erudite and more erudite than the people have spoken at the National Press club. Being the moniker of about the speech, [indiscernible] dr. King was brilliant, had a photographic memory, and was a scholar. Critical of the National Press club, and also critical of dr. King because he did not seem to respond to what i wanted him to take a much more harsher position. I wanted him to, when he spoke about being there, i wanted him to actually say as part of the speech, why has it taken so long for an african a negro to speak at the National Press club. And he said no, that is often issue. This is july of 1962. President kennedy is the president of the United States. Robert kennedy as the attorney general. Speaker before me, let me say for the record, from , until december 31st, 1967, every single telephone call, without 24 7, everything will telephone call that took place between Martin Luther king, jr. , clarence jones, Stanley Levinson, every single one was wiretapped. And the conversations transcribed. First, by handwritten notes, and then they were typed, and marked topsecret. It is a little bit offtopic, but your listener should know , anddisrespect to the fbi opportunityer, any where dr. King would be celebrated person was the last thing in the world he would have wanted. Hisanted to destroy reputation. Secondhand, ind dont have it before me, but i remember reading in the transcript of the wiretapped files, his file before they started tapping the joint file 1963, J Edgar Hoover anyway, Everybody Knows this. Joe question frominal me and then if you can expand, we only have a couple more minutes. That is ok. What was dr. Kings reaction after the speech . How did he feel the reception was . What was his thought after his historic speech . Dr. Jones i asked him, and i said, how are you received . I was not there. Overid, i thought it went very well. People ometimes even some of our friends, they have difficulty when you talk about matters publicly that they are embarrassed to hear. Standpoint, hes felt that the mere fact that he spoke at the press club, the mere fact that he talked about the issues, which were confronting america as a result of his experience, coming from and he mentions a couple of times, at least one time, and i remember it in his speech, because i wanted it to be mentioned more, he was in albany, georgia, and i wanted him to talk about albany being a template or microcosm of what we are trying to do in the south. He was pleased. I dontthink he was think he was overwhelmed in any way. I think he was just pleased. His first reaction was, they did not boo me. I said, well, lets see what happens in the press and how theyre going to try to tear you up in the press. Afterward. I do not recall him gettingt recall any negative press be back. Joe dr. Jones, thank you so much for taking the time to join us. I really appreciate the insight. Thank you very much. [applause] the audioets go to clip, at least in part, of what dr. Jones was talking about. [vlip] dr. King mr. Chairman, members ofed guests, the National Press club, ladies welcomelemen, i warmly the opportunity to address such a distinguished group of journalists. As has been said, i almost not make it. Convictedweek, i was and the city court of albany, georgia, for participating in a peaceful march, protesting segregated conditions in that community. I decided on the basis of conscience, not to pay the fine serve the jail sentence of 45 days. Just as i was about to get adjusted to my new home for 45 days, reverend abernathy and i were noted by that some unknown donor had paid our finds fines, and that we had to leave the job. As the atlanta constitution suggested the other day, we have now reached a new landmark in race relations. We have witnessed persons being ejected from lunch counters during the citizens the sitins. And thrown into jail during the freedom rides. Before the first time, we witness persons being kicked out of jail. [laughter] said,ng victor hugo once that that is nothing more ,owerful and all of the world then an idea whose time has come. Anyone sensitive to the present modes in our nation must know that the time for Racial Justice has come. The issue is not whether segregation and discrimination will be eliminated, but how they will pass from the american scene. With theme start mississippi organizer during the Civil Rights Movement and worked with the federal government on minority business development, s legacysident of sncc board, and im always so intimidated when i get around him, because he is just a brilliant individual, just let me get your initial reaction, because i know that you prepped for this, so you must have some thoughts before you came in here, when you were invited. Just your initial reaction about this whole situation and what you just heard, what you heard and also, maybe a little history about the relationship of dr. King with sncc at that time in albany. Courtland before i begin, i would just like to say that i beingworking with in the same place with simeon when Adam Clayton Powell dickere and it gregory gregory, in 1966 or 1967 and he was a person of high regard at that point, and was important to telling the story, as we know, jet magazine, along with simeon and larry stills were very important getting the message out. What strikes me about listening to dr. King and listening to whileey jones, is that america wants to celebrate how far it has come, and it should celebrate how far it has come, those of us who were involved in ,etting america to this point face very difficult circumstances, because from attorney joness tone about being wiretapped, being talked about and thought about as a communist, being disregarded. Clearly, dr. King was a brilliant person, as we have stated here tonight. But being disregarded as someone who is making a tremendous contribution, that what strikes me about mlks Opening Statement is that understanding all of the difficulties that we were facing, in albany, georgia of course, they started the jail, nobel discussion. They were going to fill the jails. People were beginning to really deal with it, direct action. Dr. King facing all of that in the south, not only in the south, but J Edgar Hoover, the distrust of, in some respects, the kennedy administration, he came here and made such an Opening Statements, he was able to be affable. Not really be give you the sense of frustration that dr. Jones talked about.