The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [228]
I think he’s the one. Let me know if you agree.
To digress:
I had a long conversation with Mr. Hoover yesterday. I expressed concern about the degree to which his anti-King incursions had already become public knowledge. I mentioned his statements about King, the SCLC’s bug and wiretap accusations and reports on the letter which was sent to King and urged him to commit suicide, which has been detailed in several left-wing periodicals. I told him that to further protect the WHITE-HATE and anti-King arms of OPERATION BLACK RABBIT and any escalations that might arise from them, a cosmeticized, largely downscaled anti-King file should be created and stored in the FBI Archives, where it would remain and stand ready for scrutiny in the event of congressional subpoena or subpoena for civil lawsuit.
Mr. Hoover understood that this mock-file would serve to obfuscate the rowdier aspects of OBR, protect Bureau prestige and buttress the validity of his earlier, less vindictive digs at King and the SCLC. He charged me to create file entries, combine them with file entries pertaining to events within public knowledge and whip them into an overall package.
I will undertake and accomplish this over the next several months. This mock-file will, of course, serve to obfuscate our independent escalations. I’m code-naming the file OPERATION ZORRO, a reference to the fictional do-gooder with the black mask.
I’m open to suggestions per the mock-file entries. Let me know if you have any. I would strongly advise you to burn all your OPERATION BLACK RABBIT memoranda at this time, along with this memo.
DOCUMENT INSERT: 8/14/67. Pouch communiqué. To: BLUE RABBIT. From: FATHER RABBIT. Marked: “Eyes Only”/“Read and Burn.”
BLUE,
Per PROSPECT: I enthusiastically endorse. Has he contacted BR from his Montreal location? If so, have Otash establish contact.
Per OPERATION ZORRO: I endorse the concept and laud your farsightedness. I’ll burn my BLACK RABBIT paperwork.
I’m assuming there’s no word on Wendell Durfee. Can you have your people step up their search?
DOCUMENT INSERT: 8/16/67. Pouch communiqué. To: FATHER RABBIT. From: BLUE RABBIT. Marked: “EYES ONLY”/“READ AND BURN.”
FATHER,
The PROSPECT contacted BR. Otash contacted the PROSPECT in Montreal & advises: He will sever contact until he successfully suborns or recruits.
Per Wendell Durfee: My people are still looking. They’ve brought in three more men.
READ THIS & BURN.
DOCUMENT INSERT: 8/22/67. Bug-extract transcript. Marked: “Confidential”/“Stage-1 Covert”/“Eyes Only”: Director, SA D. C. Holly.
Location: Card room/Fritzie’s Heidelberg Restaurant/Milwaukee/listening-post-accessed. Speaking: Unidentified males #1, #2 & #3, presumed organized-crime associates. (Conversation 5.6 minutes in progress.)
UM #1: (And) he will rue the day he comes here and agitates, because the day he marches in the Saint-Whoever Parade is the day all the white folks put their goddamn internecine and intramural differences aside and unite.
UM #2: They think they’re white. That’s what kills me.
UM #3: I saw a nigger march in the St. Patrick’s Parade. He had this sign that said, “Kiss Me, I’m Irish.”
UM #2: King puts them up to it. They get a toe in our world, then a foot, then an ankle.
UM #1: It’s their peckers I’m worried about. Most of them bucks got ones the size of a bratwurst.
UM #2: I was talking to Phil. You know him? “Phil the Pill.” He runs semis out of St. Louis.
UM #3: I know him. Phil the Pill. He eats co-pilots like they’re popcorn.
UM #2: Phil says there’s a contract out. You know, a bounty. Like Steve McQueen in “Wanted Dead or Alive.”
UM #1: I heard that story. You clip that nigger, you make 50 grand. It’s a story I don’t believe for one second.
UM #3: That’s right. Some cracker clips King, he comes to the Grapevine and says, “Pay me.” Everybody says, “Why? It was just a