Dangerous Friendship: Stanley Levison, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Kennedy Brothers

by Ben Kamin

The product of long-concealed FBI surveillance documents, Dangerous Friendship chronicles a history of Martin Luther King Jr. that the government kept secret from the public for years. The book reveals the story of Stanley Levison, a well-known figure in the Communist Party–USA, who became one of King’s closest friends and, effectively, his most trusted adviser. Levison, a Jewish attorney and businessman, became King’s pro bono ghostwriter, accountant, fundraiser, and legal adviser. This friendship, however, created many complications for both men. Because of Levison’s former ties to the Communist Party, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover launched an obsessive campaign, wiretapping, tracking, and photographing Levison relentlessly. By association, King was labeled as “a Communist and subversive,” prompting then–attorney general Robert F. Kennedy to authorize secret surveillance of the civil rights leader. It was this effort that revealed King’s sexual philandering and furthered a breakdown of trust between King, Robert F. Kennedy, and eventually President John F. Kennedy. With stunning revelations, this book exposes both the general attitude of the U.S. government toward the privacy rights of American citizens during those difficult years as well as the extent to which King, Levison, and many other freedom workers were hounded by people at the very top of the U.S. security establishment.

268 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Samantha Shain · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a tremendous disappointment. Perhaps I am reading this with too much of a critical eye, but since it was published by a university press, I expected more nuance, research, and depth. The book was also riddled with repetition, factual inaccuracies and/or omission, including the entire story and contributions of Jack O'Dell. The bibliography was scant, and where the author did reference primary sources, the bibliographical notes were vague and did not mention which document or file box the piece came from. While the book heavily borrows from Branch and Garrow, I don't think it's appropriate to even consider it an abridged volume. There were a few anecdotes that were new to me, namely (1) Clarence Jones getting a suitcase of cash from NY Gov Nelson Rockefeller and (2) Stanley Levison's wife's therapist's husband being an FBI agent. (whaaaaat?!)

[Scott Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book serves an important function, to highlight the important relationship Stanley Levison had with Martin Luther King. He was MLKs closest white friend and associate. But the book does not have much new information in it and is in many ways a rehash of Taylor Branch's Parting the Waters. The only real addition is a few interviews Kamin had with several principals in the civil rights movement and Levison's son Andrew.