# FBI letter to MLK urging suicide

> FBI sent Martin Luther King Jr. a suicide letter in 1963.
- Title: FBI letter to MLK urging suicide · Vox | Shortify
- Summary: FBI sent Martin Luther King Jr. a suicide letter in 1963. The FBI tried to convince MLK to commit suicide by threatening to expose his sexual misconduct.
- Keywords: fbi, martin luther king jr, suicide, sexual misconduct, national archives, yale university, beverly gage, j. edgar hoover, william sullivan, nobel prize, unredacted letter, 1963
- Source: Vox — https://vox.com/xpress/2014/11/12/7204453/martin-luther-king-fbi-letter
- Author: Andrew Prokop
- Published: 2014-11-12T17:20:02+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: fbi, martin luther king jr, suicide, sexual misconduct, national archives, yale university, beverly gage, j. edgar hoover, william sullivan, nobel prize, unredacted letter, 1963
## FBI surveillance on MLK
The FBI marked MLK as the most dangerous negro in 1963 after his 'I Have a Dream' speech.
## FBI's sexual misconduct threat
The FBI sent an unredacted letter to MLK's home threatening to expose his sexual misconduct.
## Letter's suicide demand
The letter told MLK he had 34 days to commit suicide or face public exposure.

> There is only one thing left for you to do. You know what it is. You have just 34 days
## King's response
King and his advisers concluded the letter was from the FBI and did not commit suicide.
## Key takeaway

The FBI tried to convince MLK to commit suicide by threatening to expose his sexual misconduct.