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FBI A Byte Out of History - MIBURN

HomeNewsStories2007FebruaryAByteOutofHistoryMIBURN

AByteOutofHistory
MississippiBurning
02/26/07
TheKKKwasinamurderousmood.ItwasJune1964the
startofFreedomSummer,amassivethreemonthinitiativeto
registersouthernblackstovoteandadirectresponsetothe
Klansowncampaignoffearandintimidation.
TheKlaninMississippi,inparticular,wasaftera24yearold
NewYorkernamedMichaelSchwerner.Hedbeenespecially
activeinorganizinglocalboycottsofbiasedbusinessesand
helpingwithvoterregistration.OnJune16,actingonatip,a
mobofarmedKKKmembersdescendedonalocalchurch
meetinglookingforhim.Schwernerwasntthere,sothey
torchedthechurchandbeatthechurchgoers.
Thecharredstationwagondiscoveredby
FBIagentsonJune23,1964,ledtothe
casename"MIBURN,"forMississippi
Burning.

TheKlanmisseditstarget,butthetrapwasset:onJune20,
SchwernerandtwofellowvolunteersJamesChaneyand
AndrewGoodmanheadedsouthtoinvestigatethefire.The
nextafternoon,theyinterviewedseveralwitnessesandwentto
meetwithfellowactivists.Theeventsthatfollowed,outlinedhere,wouldstunthenation.
5p.m.,Sunday,June21:AfterdrivingintoPhiladelphia,Mississippi,thethreecivilrightsworkers
werearrestedbyaNeshobaCountyDeputySheriffnamedCecilPrice,allegedlyforspeeding.
Circa10:30p.m.,June21:Chaney,Goodman,andSchwernerwerereleasedanddroveoffinthe
directionofMeridianinabluestationwagon.Bypreordainedplan,KKKmembersfollowed.The
activistswereneverheardfromagain.
Earlymorning,June22:Notifiedofthedisappearance,theDepartmentofJusticerequestedour
involvementafewhourslater,AttorneyGeneralRobertKennedyaskedustoleadthecase.Bylate
morning,wedblanketedtheareawithagents,whobeganintensiveinterviews.

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Lateafternoon,June23:Intelligencedevelopedbyouragentsledthemtotheremainsoftheburnt
outstationwagon,shownabove.Nobodieswerefoundtheworstwasfeared.Thecharredstation
wagonledustonamethecaseMIBURN,forMississippiBurning.
June24toAugust3.WelaunchedamassivesearchfortheyoungmenaidedbytheNational
Guardthroughbackroads,swamps,andhollows.Atthesametime,wewereputtingpressureon
knownmembersanddevelopinginformantswhocouldinfiltratetheKlan.AttherequestofPresident
LyndonJohnson,wealsoopenedanewfieldofficeinJackson,Mississippi.Intime,weddevelopeda
comprehensiveanalysisofthelocalKKKanditsroleinthedisappearance.
August4.Actingonaninformanttip,weexhumedallthreebodies14feetbelowanearthendamona
localfarm.
December4.Morethanadozensuspects,includingDeputyPriceandhisbossSheriffRainey,were
indictedandarrested.
October20,1967.Followingyearsofcourtbattles,sevenofthe18defendantswerefoundguilty
includingDeputySheriffPricebutnoneonmurdercharges.Onemajorconspirator,EdgarRay
Killen,wentfreeafteralonejurorcouldntbringherselftoconvictaBaptistpreacher.
Intheend,theKlanshomicidalwaysbackfired.Themurdersgalvanizedthenationandprovided
impetusforthepassageofthelandmarkCivilRightsActof1964onJuly2.AndKilleneventuallygot
hisduehewasconvictedofmanslaughteronJune21,2005,the41stanniversaryofthecrimes.
Formoreinformation,seetheMissingPosterandourreleasedrecordsonthecase.Andstaytuned
thisweekformoredetailsonourongoingworktosecurejusticeincivilrightscasespastandpresent.
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