How FBI and police enabled Klan attacks on Freedom Riders

Bull Connor’s 15-Minute Deal with Birmingham Klansmen

In May 1961, a dark deal was struck in Birmingham.

Police Commissioner “Bull” Connor met with Klan leaders and promised them a 15-minute window to attack civil rights activists.

“Beat ’em, bomb ’em, kill ’em,” Police Sergeant Cook told FBI informant Gary Rowe. “No arrests. ” The FBI knew what was coming but did nothing.

On May 14, the plan worked perfectly.

Klansmen firebombed buses in Anniston, then sixty hand-picked men with clubs attacked riders in Birmingham while police stayed away.

The Freedom Riders National Monument now stands as a powerful reminder of this bloody conspiracy that changed America.

The FBI Paid a Klansman to Infiltrate America’s Most Violent KKK Chapter

Gary Thomas Rowe joined Eastview Klavern 13, the most violent Klan chapter ever, in May 1960 as an FBI informant.

The FBI grabbed Rowe after learning the Klan wanted him, with Agent Barrett Kemp quickly signing him up. J. Edgar Hoover himself approved monthly payments of $80-$250 plus expenses for Rowe’s work.

Younger Klansmen helped Rowe rise through the ranks fast because they liked how willing he was to hurt civil rights activists, unlike older members who didn’t want to get physical.

Birmingham Police Shared FBI Intel with Klan Leaders

Police Sergeant Tom Cook helped the conspiracy by giving FBI information straight to Klan leaders.

The FBI knew Cook worked as a Klan agent in the police department at least 10 days before the Birmingham attack.

Imperial Wizard Robert Shelton told Cook to go to Anniston to track the Freedom Riders’ buses and keep Birmingham Klansmen updated.

Cook took an easier route, simply using the FBI to watch the buses and then telling his Klan friends where they were.

Klansmen and Cops Planned Violence Over Coffee

Klan members and Birmingham police officers held secret meetings throughout late April and early May 1961.

Klan member Hubert Page set up a hidden meeting where Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor promised Imperial Wizard Robert “Bobby” Shelton that police would give Klansmen fifteen minutes to attack the Freedom Riders.

Gary Thomas Rowe told the FBI all these details, giving J. Edgar Hoover full knowledge of the plot weeks before the attacks happened.

The plan called for group violence against the peaceful protesters.

Police Promised Klansmen: "Beat ‘Em, Bomb ‘Em, Kill ‘Em"

Sergeant Cook made the violence plan clear to FBI informant Rowe:

“We’re gonna allow you fifteen minutes. You can beat ’em, bomb ’em, maim ’em, kill ’em.
I don’t give a shit. There will be absolutely no arrests.”

Cook told Rowe to tell everyone that no Klansman in Alabama would get arrested during that fifteen-minute window.

Connor reportedly promised Klan leaders that police would stay away from both bus stations during the attacks.

Rowe later said Connor promised light sentences for any Klansmen caught afterward.

Hoover Kept Attack Plans Secret from Attorney General Kennedy

The FBI chose not to stop the violence even though Rowe warned them three weeks earlier about the planned attacks.

Hoover never told Attorney General Robert Kennedy, his boss, that he was watching the mob form and plan their attack.

The FBI claimed they couldn’t step in, though the Freedom Riders were protected by federal interstate commerce laws.

By doing nothing, they let the conspiracy move forward without any federal obstacles or warnings to the civil rights activists about the danger ahead.

Sixty Klansmen Armed with Bats and Clubs Awaited the Buses

In the days before May 14, Klan leaders finished their two-part attack plan.

First, Anniston Klaverns led by Kenneth Adams and William Chappell would confront the Riders there. Then, a “mop-up action” would follow in Birmingham with sixty picked Klansmen armed with bats and clubs.

Connor suggested the Klan create a fake incident to justify the violence, like having a Klansman spill coffee on himself and blame a Freedom Rider.

The Klan sent “fiery cross summonses” calling members from many states to join the attack.

FBI Helped Klansmen Track the Freedom Riders’ Location

Just before the attacks, the Birmingham FBI chief called Sergeant Cook to share the exact location of the buses, knowing Cook would tell the Klan.

The FBI gave this tracking information despite knowing the police department had Klan members in it.

When the first bus unexpectedly went to the Trailways station instead of Greyhound, a quick call from police headquarters to Rowe let the Klansmen regroup at the right location.

This teamwork made sure the mob would be ready when the Freedom Riders arrived.

Klansmen Tried to Burn Freedom Riders Alive in Anniston

The mob attacked the Greyhound bus at the Anniston station on May 14, Mother’s Day. They cut the tires, then set the bus on fire with the Freedom Riders still trapped inside.

The attackers held the doors shut, planning to burn the civil rights activists alive. Only a small explosion scared the mob back from the doors, letting the passengers escape.

Rowe later admitted to using a baseball bat during the attack.

An ambulance driver refused to take Black Freedom Riders to the hospital until white Riders shamed him by refusing to go without their Black companions.

Mob Took Over Birmingham Bus Station "Like an Army"

Rowe later described the scene:

“We made an astounding sight…men running and walking down the streets of Birmingham on Sunday afternoon carrying chains, sticks, and clubs.”

“We barged into the bus station and took it over like an army of occupation,” Rowe recalled.”

There were Klansmen in the waiting room, in the rest rooms, in the parking area.”

The attackers came armed with iron pipes, baseball bats and bicycle chains to beat the Freedom Riders as they stepped off the bus.

The Promised 15 Minutes of Unchecked Violence Unfolded Exactly as Planned

Just as promised, Connor made sure no police officers were present when the Trailways bus arrived at the Birmingham terminal.

The Klansmen got their full 15 minutes to beat the Freedom Riders without any police interference.

Birmingham Post-Herald photographer Tommy Langston captured Rowe and several others, including Eastview Klavern leader Hubert Page, beating Freedom Rider George Webb.

The mob got so caught up in the frenzy that they mistakenly attacked several bystanders, including a Klansman named L. B. Earle who ended up hospitalized.

Connor Blamed Violence on Mother’s Day Police Shortage

After the attacks, Connor created a ridiculous cover story, claiming: “No policemen were in sight as the buses arrived, because they were visiting their mothers on Mother’s Day.”

Police made zero arrests at the scene despite having an FBI informant who participated in the violence and provided advance warning of the conspiracy.

Though more than a dozen white supremacists eventually faced charges for the attacks, Sergeant Cook never faced consequences for leaking police information to the Klan.

The brutal images shocked Americans and brought segregation under international spotlight, embarrassing the United States during the Cold War.

Visiting Freedom Riders National Monument, Alabama

Freedom Riders National Monument has two sites that tell the story of the 1961 attacks.

You can see a mural and timeline at the Greyhound Station on Gurnee Avenue, plus visit the bus burning site 6 miles outside Anniston on Old Birmingham Highway.

Get your NPS passport stamp anytime at the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce on Quintard Avenue.

Listen to Freedom Rider Hank Thomas’s audio recording at the historic marker.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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