On January 9, 1962, the Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated electronic surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent leader of the civil rights movement. The action represented part of a broader FBI program of monitoring civil rights activists during the Cold War era, reflecting both concerns about potential Communist influence and the bureau’s view of King as a figure whose activities warranted close scrutiny. Background and context Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, the FBI, led by J. Edgar Hoover, monitored numerous civil rights organizations and leaders. Hoover and other bureau officials expressed worry that Communist agents might exploit racial tensions in the United States. At the same time, Hoover increasingly regarded King as a problematic and influential public figure whose leadership and rhetoric could inspire widespread social unrest. These overlapping concerns framed the bureau’s decision-making about surveillance. The decision to surveil King The January 1962 surveillance order for King initiated one of the most sustained monitoring efforts the FBI conducted against an American citizen. Electronic surveillance—commonly understood to include wiretaps and covert listening devices—was authorized in the context of ongoing investigations and assessments of King’s associations and activities. The bureau’s internal records and later declassified files show that surveillance of King continued and intensified in subsequent years, especially after his rising national prominence following events such as the 1963 Birmingham campaign and the 1963 March on Washington. Scope and impact Surveillance encompassed domestic monitoring of King’s communications and movements, and the accumulation of reports and files about his speeches, associates, and organizational activities. The FBI compiled detailed dossiers that were later used internally to evaluate King’s influence and character. The existence and nature of the surveillance had immediate implications for King and the civil rights movement: it influenced how the bureau allocated investigative resources and how information about activists circulated within federal law enforcement. Controversy and legacy The FBI’s surveillance of King has been a subject of lasting controversy. Critics have argued that the monitoring—and some tactics reportedly employed in the bureau’s campaign against him—constituted an abuse of government power aimed at undermining a lawful political and social movement. Supporters of the bureau’s actions at the time cited national security concerns and fears of external subversion. Subsequent historical scholarship and declassified materials have documented the breadth of the FBI’s monitoring efforts and raised questions about civil liberties, legal standards for surveillance, and government oversight. Uncertainties and sources Specific operational details—such as the precise timing of certain surveillance installations, the full content of intercepted communications, and every internal deliberation—remain partially redacted or subject to classification in some archives. Historians rely on contemporaneous FBI memoranda, later declassified files, congressional investigations, and scholarly research to reconstruct the timeline and scope of surveillance. When details are disputed in the historical record, this summary notes those disputes rather than asserting uncertain specifics. Conclusion The placement of Martin Luther King Jr. under FBI surveillance on January 9, 1962, marks a key episode in the complex interaction between federal law enforcement and the civil rights movement. It illustrates Cold War-era anxieties about political influence and national security, the contentious relationship between King and the FBI, and enduring debates about the balance between security and civil liberties in American history.