Mystery Man Got Parade Details In Advance, May Have Told Klan
Date
1979-11-07
Creator
Newton, David
Biographical/historical note
David Newton was a staff writer for the Greensboro Daily News in 1979.
Subject headings
Greensboro Massacre, Greensboro, N.C., 1979
Topics
Greensboro Massacre, 1979
Place
Greensboro (N.C.)
Description
This November 7, 1979, article, David Newton of the Greensboro Daily News reports that a possible member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) or Nazi party had obtained a copy of the parade permit, two days prior to the event, for a November 3 anti-Klan rally where five members of the Communist Workers Party (CWP) were shot and killed. The man, identified only as "Dawson" was assumed to be KKK member Edward D. Dawson, although he denied having done so when questioned. The parade permit was a crucial piece of evidence as it included information about the location where the march was to have convened, a fact not publicized on flyers announcing the march which mentioned a different location as the gathering place. The parade permit was public record. The article also mentions that Police Chief W.E. Swing had released police radio tapes of communications at the time of the shootings, and includes a timeline derived from those tapes.
