Martin Luther King Jr. Was Surveilled by the FBI. Today, Law Enforcement Still Tracks Black Activists Listen Download Embed Share Share this on Facebook (Opens in a new window) Share this on Twitter (Opens in a new window) Share this via Email James Adams, FBI deputy director, on Nov. 19, 1975 said there was no justification for the bureau's extensive campaign to destroy Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader of the civil rights movement. ( AP Photo ) Produced by PRI, PRX and WNYC