William Bradford Huie

Born in Hartselle, Alabama , Huie graduated from the University Of Alabama in 1930 after which he went to work for a Birmingham newspaper.

He served as an officer with the United States Navy 's Seabee s during World War II , after which he returned to journalism. He began writing Novel s and nonfiction works that dealt primarily with the War. He turned his attention to the civil rights movement in books examining the death of Emmett Till and an investigation of Klan activities in Alabama. His articles about the murders of Andrew Goodman , James Chaney , and Michael Schwerner were combined to form a 1964 book titled "''Three Lives For Mississippi''". When he published "''The Klansman''" in 1967, Huie received death threats and a Cross Burning occurred on the front lawn of his home. Mainstream journalists criticized Huie for employing checkbook journalism. He did not apologize for that, saying he gathered information in civil rights investigations the same way the FBI did--he paid informants. In "He Slew The Dreamer," Huie concluded that James Earl Ray was responsible for the murder of Martin Luther King, and that he acted alone.

Five of his works were made into motion pictures, plus he wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed 1961 Film Drama '' The Outsider '', directed by Delbert Mann and starring Tony Curtis as Native-American WWII hero Ira Hayes . His book "The Execution of Private Slovik," an account on the only WWII G-I executed for desertion, was made into a TV movie starring Martin Sheen.

William Bradford Huie died in 1986 in Guntersville, Alabama .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fiction