Martin Luther King Jr. State Department Records – Passport Files

Description

The Martin Luther King Jr. State Department Files – Passport Files

This collection comprises documents sourced from the United States Department of State’s Passport Office files concerning Martin Luther King Jr., covering the period from February 12, 1957, to June 12, 1967.

The files contain various items, including passport applications and travel arrangements related to Martin Luther King Jr. The State Department gathered a range of materials that feature biographical details about King, notes regarding the links between members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Communist Party, detailed travel itineraries, photographs, and an example of his signature.

Within this archive, there is also documentation related to a protest against the granting of a passport to Martin Luther King Jr. Additionally, it includes an FBI memorandum discussing the collaboration between Martin Luther King Jr. and Harry Belafonte to organize a civil rights demonstration at the Plais des Sports in Port de Versailles, Paris. The records highlight Martin Luther King Jr.’s travel plans to India, which were backed by the American Friends Service Committee. Furthermore, there is a report directed to Georgia Democratic Senator Richard B. Russell, detailing Martin Luther King Jr.’s intention to visit West Africa, specifically the Gold Coast, which was later known as Ghana. Also included is a telegram from 1957 sent to Passport Office Director Frances G. Knight, addressing the possibilities of Martin Luther King Jr.’s travels to both India and Africa.