Jerry Thompson
Jerry Thompson was an investigative journalist for the Tennessean, the newspaper for Nashville, Tennessee. After twenty years of distinguished work for the paper, Thompson was asked by the publisher, John Seigenthaler, to investigate the “new KKK”, which had captivated national attention following a ten year period of quiescence in the wake of the Civil Rights movement. Accepting the assignment, Thompson resolved to spend four to six months reporting undercover from the perspective of a Klansman. This mission would turn into a sixteen month ordeal during which he infiltrated two rival factions of the cult, and about which he later wrote a nine part article series for the Tennessean, for which he is most famous.
One faction of the KKK was named the Knights of the KKK, and was under the leadership of David Duke (then and even now a politically active member of Neo-Nazi and Anti-Semitic movements) and Don Black, with whom Thompson entered into personal correspondence. Thompson expressed interest in “joining Black’s group”, after which the two met at a local restaurant to conduct an interview. After extensive training with a psychologist to condition himself to the racist attitudes that he would likely be asked to express, Thompson successfully passed Black’s scrutiny and was able to pay a requisite membership fee to join the Klan.
Thompson initially noted that the Knights of the KKK was that the group was constructed on strong rhetoric but failed to attract any sizable membership. One early Klan meeting that he attended was hosted at a Klansman’s house, and featured a physician sermonizing on how the Jewish and African Americans were colluding in an attempt to take over America. Small rallies at roadblocks for African Americans and at political campaigns convinced Thompson that the group was too small and weak to cause any political damage. An arcane inductance ritual involving blood-letting that was conducted in the privacy of Black’s own home further convinced Thompson that this faction was threatening only in its television appearances.
Convinced that Knights of the KKK posed no real threat, Thompson asked Seigenthaler for permission to additionally disguise as a member of the Invisible Empire, a rival Klan faction headed by William Wilkinson. Wilkinson had originally been affiliated with the Knights of the KKK, but had drifted away due to his emphasis on concrete action as opposed to racial slurs. Thompson was intimidated by the group’s harsh policies, with the manual of this faction stating that the punishment for violating the oath of secrecy was “Disgrace, dishonor, and death.” Meetings at klaverns had every member armed to the teeth, with members convinced to the extreme that a “race war” would break out soon enough to “cleanse” America.
Thompson recounted one scary instance when the Invisible Empire planned an armed anti-Communist riot in Birmingham. Worried that it had the potential to escalate into massive violence, Thomson notified Seigenthaler, who notified authorities to send in police, motorcycles, and helicopters, who forced the leaders of the riot to stow away all weapons, thus nullifying the possibility of violence.
During this entire 1.5 year period, only Seigenthaler, a few other trusted associates at the Tennessean, and Thompson’s wife (not even his children) knew about his assignment. Colleagues inquisitive about Thompson’s prolonged absences were met with deception on Thompson’s part, who lied that “he was visiting a girlfriend in Chattanooga”. One time, when Thompson was recognized by Jon Smith, a CBS photographer, in Klan disguise, Thompson quickly asked Smith to keep his activities a secret.
Afterwards, Thompson’s fears that the publication would jeopardize the safety of his family caused him to request police security at his home. However, both Black and Wilkinson dismissed Thompson’s efforts as futile, with Wilkinson dismissing the idea of any punishment and Black indeed thanking Thompson for drawing publicity to the actions of the KKK. The publishers of an early book version of his articles were sued for libel by a Klansman, dissuading further publishing even though Thompson ended up winning the suit.
Following this example of investigative journalism, Thompson started writing daily articles once again. One notary example is that he reopened a seventy year old case in which a Jew was sentenced to life in prison for supposedly killing a girl in Atlanta. He verified that a supposed eyewitness in that case had lied, and caused the Georgia Board of Pardons to pardon the suspect posthumously.
Thomson was a true investigative journalist, putting his life at stake to expose one of the most secretive and threatening organizations in American history. His contributions defamed the Klan and contributed, in large part, to the decay in KKK membership that has continued to this day.
One faction of the KKK was named the Knights of the KKK, and was under the leadership of David Duke (then and even now a politically active member of Neo-Nazi and Anti-Semitic movements) and Don Black, with whom Thompson entered into personal correspondence. Thompson expressed interest in “joining Black’s group”, after which the two met at a local restaurant to conduct an interview. After extensive training with a psychologist to condition himself to the racist attitudes that he would likely be asked to express, Thompson successfully passed Black’s scrutiny and was able to pay a requisite membership fee to join the Klan.
Thompson initially noted that the Knights of the KKK was that the group was constructed on strong rhetoric but failed to attract any sizable membership. One early Klan meeting that he attended was hosted at a Klansman’s house, and featured a physician sermonizing on how the Jewish and African Americans were colluding in an attempt to take over America. Small rallies at roadblocks for African Americans and at political campaigns convinced Thompson that the group was too small and weak to cause any political damage. An arcane inductance ritual involving blood-letting that was conducted in the privacy of Black’s own home further convinced Thompson that this faction was threatening only in its television appearances.
Convinced that Knights of the KKK posed no real threat, Thompson asked Seigenthaler for permission to additionally disguise as a member of the Invisible Empire, a rival Klan faction headed by William Wilkinson. Wilkinson had originally been affiliated with the Knights of the KKK, but had drifted away due to his emphasis on concrete action as opposed to racial slurs. Thompson was intimidated by the group’s harsh policies, with the manual of this faction stating that the punishment for violating the oath of secrecy was “Disgrace, dishonor, and death.” Meetings at klaverns had every member armed to the teeth, with members convinced to the extreme that a “race war” would break out soon enough to “cleanse” America.
Thompson recounted one scary instance when the Invisible Empire planned an armed anti-Communist riot in Birmingham. Worried that it had the potential to escalate into massive violence, Thomson notified Seigenthaler, who notified authorities to send in police, motorcycles, and helicopters, who forced the leaders of the riot to stow away all weapons, thus nullifying the possibility of violence.
During this entire 1.5 year period, only Seigenthaler, a few other trusted associates at the Tennessean, and Thompson’s wife (not even his children) knew about his assignment. Colleagues inquisitive about Thompson’s prolonged absences were met with deception on Thompson’s part, who lied that “he was visiting a girlfriend in Chattanooga”. One time, when Thompson was recognized by Jon Smith, a CBS photographer, in Klan disguise, Thompson quickly asked Smith to keep his activities a secret.
Afterwards, Thompson’s fears that the publication would jeopardize the safety of his family caused him to request police security at his home. However, both Black and Wilkinson dismissed Thompson’s efforts as futile, with Wilkinson dismissing the idea of any punishment and Black indeed thanking Thompson for drawing publicity to the actions of the KKK. The publishers of an early book version of his articles were sued for libel by a Klansman, dissuading further publishing even though Thompson ended up winning the suit.
Following this example of investigative journalism, Thompson started writing daily articles once again. One notary example is that he reopened a seventy year old case in which a Jew was sentenced to life in prison for supposedly killing a girl in Atlanta. He verified that a supposed eyewitness in that case had lied, and caused the Georgia Board of Pardons to pardon the suspect posthumously.
Thomson was a true investigative journalist, putting his life at stake to expose one of the most secretive and threatening organizations in American history. His contributions defamed the Klan and contributed, in large part, to the decay in KKK membership that has continued to this day.