WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this WSB newsfilm clip from April 6, 1968, Atlanta, Georgia mayor Ivan Allen describes how he told Coretta Scott King of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the film includes footage of Mayor Allen escorting Mrs. King from the Atlanta airport.The clip begins with Mayor Allen standing against a gray curtain and speaking directly into the camera. He states that he learned of King's shooting from the television and immediately called Mrs. King. Mayor Allen then says that he went to the King home and accompanied Mrs. King to the airport. The clip cuts to a view of Mrs. King, accompanied by Mayor Allen and two unidentified persons, walking through the Atlanta airport. Surrounded by a crowd of people, they walk outside, where it is nighttime; Mayor Allen opens a car door, and Mrs. King enters the car. The sound of airplane engines can be heard in the background. The camera captures two crying children, and a woman reaches out to comfort one of the children. Mayor Allen, speaking over the footage, states that, while at the airport, he learned of Dr. King's death, and he "had the difficult task" of delivering the news to Mrs. King. The footage then shows Allen entering the car in which Mrs. King is sitting. He finishes by stating that he and his wife took Mrs. King back to her home.

Record Contributed By

New Georgia Encyclopedia

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia