Index/People/David Garrow

David Garrow

(died 1805)

Fact-Checks

33 results
Nov 7, 2025
Most Viewed

Is is true, yes or no, that Martin Luther King Jr partook in orgies and slept with prostitutes?

No simple yes-or-no answer resolves this question. FBI surveillance materials and later reporting contain allegations that Martin Luther King Jr. had multiple extramarital sexual encounters and that F...

Jan 14, 2026
Most Viewed

was dr. martin luther king jr. accused of rape

A highly publicized allegation that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. watched and encouraged the rape of a woman in a Washington hotel room originates from notes and summaries in FBI files and was publicized...

Nov 24, 2025
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Who first reported the rape allegations against MLK and what evidence did they present?

The earliest public reporting that crystallized the modern “rape allegation” narrative about Martin Luther King Jr. traces to historian David J. Garrow’s 2019 article in Standpoint, which relied on FB...

Jan 15, 2026

Did Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife or family ever publicly address claims of extramarital relationships?

Coretta Scott King did publicly respond to rumors about Martin Luther King Jr.’s alleged infidelities, generally downplaying them and expressing faith in her marriage even when FBI surveillance materi...

Jan 14, 2026

was martin luther king jr. convicted of rape?

No—Martin Luther King Jr. was never criminally charged with or convicted of rape; the most explosive claims about him stem from FBI surveillance memos and a 2019 essay by David Garrow that cite sealed...

Jan 18, 2026

What did historian David Garrow reveal about MLK's personal life?

David J. Garrow published a controversial essay drawing on newly released FBI files that alleges extensive sexual misconduct by Martin Luther King Jr. — including numerous extramarital affairs, solici...

Nov 10, 2025

How credible are claims that Martin Luther King Jr. had extramarital affairs according to historians?

Martin Luther King Jr.’s alleged extramarital affairs are treated by most historians as but contested in scale and detail because the principal documentary evidence comes from an FBI campaign explicit...

Jan 12, 2026

Has Barack Obama publicly addressed rumors about his sexuality, and what did he say?

No credible record in the supplied reporting shows Barack Obama directly addressing rumors about his sexuality; multiple sources state he has not publicly confirmed or denied such claims , while repor...

Oct 4, 2025

Can the claims of sexual misconduct against Martin Luther King Jr. be corroborated with eyewitness accounts?

Claims that Martin Luther King Jr. engaged in sexual misconduct, including allegations of affairs and an accusation that he stood by during a rape, rest primarily on FBI surveillance materials and rep...

Oct 26, 2025

What evidence supports the claims of Martin Luther King Jr's alleged affairs?

The central evidence for claims that Martin Luther King Jr. had extramarital affairs comes from FBI surveillance materials — wiretaps, informant reports, and an uncensored letter — produced as part of...

Jan 14, 2026

Are there verified records linking Martin Luther King Jr. to orgies or prostitution in Boston, Montgomery, or Memphis?

The declassified FBI files and later reporting contain salacious allegations that Martin Luther King Jr. participated in orgies and solicited prostitutes, but those claims originate in FBI dossiers, t...

Jan 19, 2026

How have historians evaluated David Garrow’s use of FBI surveillance material in his MLK research?

David Garrow’s excavation of declassified FBI surveillance files on Martin Luther King Jr. reignited a split among historians: some praise his detailed documentary mining of Bureau records and previou...

Nov 24, 2025

How have historians and biographers addressed the allegations of domestic violence against Martin Luther King Jr?

Historians and biographers have long wrestled with allegations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s sexual misconduct and with claims — based largely on FBI surveillance files and later reporting — that he wit...

Jan 19, 2026

MLK promiscuous

The available reporting shows multiple sources alleging that Martin Luther King Jr. engaged in extramarital sexual relationships, with much of the documentary “evidence” coming from FBI wiretaps and r...

Jan 12, 2026

What did David Garrow publish about Barack Obama’s letters and how have historians evaluated his claims?

David Garrow published a sprawling 2017 biography, Rising Star, that included transcriptions and paraphrases of young Barack Obama’s love letters and a claim—based on letters held at Emory and describ...

Dec 18, 2025

Are there credible contemporary witnesses or documents that corroborate the rape accusations against Martin Luther King Jr.?

The strongest public evidence for the allegation that Martin Luther King Jr. witnessed a rape and “looked on, laughed, and offered advice” comes not from living, contemporary eyewitnesses but from FBI...

Dec 16, 2025

Which FBI files and surveillance records reference allegations about MLK's personal life?

The National Archives release (July 2025) and earlier reporting confirm that the FBI amassed a vast collection of files — over 230,000–240,000 pages — tied to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination an...

Jan 21, 2026

What are some negative truths about Martin Luther king Jr?

remains an iconic figure for civil rights, but his legacy contains documented and contested negative elements: credible archival evidence of extramarital sexual activity and questionable behavior reve...

Jan 21, 2026

How have historians evaluated David Garrow’s 2019 reporting on MLK and the controversies it generated?

’s 2019 essay mining newly released files to make explosive allegations about provoked a sharp split among historians: many condemned his treatment of heavily tainted FBI material as credulous and irr...

Jan 21, 2026

What evidence supports or refutes the claims of Martin Luther King Jr's infidelity?

The archival record shows that surveillance collected and produced reports alleging engaged in extramarital sexual activity, and those materials were used in an explicit campaign to discredit him . At...