Session: 1234567891011121314         Page 214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252 of 763

government illicit or illegal activities.

Well, let me back up and say that I was more suspicious of some form of governmental involvement in the assassination of Martin -- Martin Luther King-- than I was of Malcolm, because, as I indicated, in many if not all of my last series of discussions with Malcolm, he was aware of the imminence of his assassination. You know, it was something he lived with -- the knowledge that it was maybe just a matter of time. He discussed this prophetic possibility primarily in terms of the Muslims. And unfortunately, he was rather specific about one person who was very close to him, before he was excommunicated, you know -- in fact, the person who was always with Malcolm; whenever I invited him up to my classes, this particular person was always with him. And Malcolm thought that he had been given the assignment to see that this was done.

So it was not -- none of the discussions with Malcolm, if I recall correctly, converged on the government, as --

Oh, except this, interestingly enough. I think it was not just implied; I mean, I've touched on it lightly -- that when and if it were done, the government wouldn't be particularly unhappy about it, you see. The major efforts and attempts to find and punish the assassins would not be particularly -- that would not be done. The government would be rather casual about it.

I think -- I hope I'm not making it up, but I think that in our discussions, we said a lot of things, in passing, and oddly enough, sometimes smiling, joking about it. But we both knew that