Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime. In the captivating true story “Black Klansman,” intrepid African American detective Ron Stallworth daringly goes undercover to infiltrate the notorious Ku Klux Klan. This gripping memoir offers an eye-opening exposé into the dark heart of racism and hate in America. Discover the shocking details of Stallworth’s high-stakes investigation that will leave you on the edge of your seat and marveling at his unparalleled courage.
Read on for a riveting summary and review of this groundbreaking book that fearlessly confronts racism and provides an unflinching look at a pivotal undercover operation.
Table of Contents
Genres
Personal Memoirs, Politics, Social Sciences, Sociology, Law Enforcement Biographies, Discrimination & Racism, History, Biography, True Crime, Non-fiction, Memoir, History, Social issues, Race relations, Civil rights
“Black Klansman” chronicles the extraordinary story of Ron Stallworth, the first black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department. In 1978, Stallworth boldly launched an undercover investigation into the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. By posing as a white supremacist over the phone and enlisting a white narcotics officer to play his in-person counterpart, Stallworth successfully infiltrated the KKK.
Over several months, Stallworth gained the trust of local Klan members, even forming a relationship with Grand Wizard David Duke, while covertly gathering intelligence on the hate group’s activities. The operation exposed cross-burnings, weapons stockpiling, and plans to intimidate racial minorities.
Stallworth’s unique perspective as a black man inside the KKK provides eye-opening insights into the psychology of racism. The book explores the duality of his identity and the emotional toll of the investigation. It culminates in a tense undercover operation aimed at preventing violence against racial minorities in Colorado Springs.
“Black Klansman” is a powerful testament to Stallworth’s bravery and dedication. It showcases how one man risked his life to fight racism and protect his community. The book illuminates an important chapter in civil rights history and draws disturbing parallels to the ongoing prevalence of white supremacy today.
Review
“Black Klansman” is an astounding, impactful true story that exposes the ugly realities of racism in America. Ron Stallworth’s firsthand account is remarkably candid, painting a vivid picture of his dangerous undercover mission. His authentic, matter-of-fact voice lends the narrative unquestionable credibility and immediacy.
While at times the book feels slightly repetitive in recounting Stallworth’s phone conversations with Klansmen, these scenes powerfully illustrate the banality of evil and the depths of ignorance fueling white supremacy. Stallworth’s ability to deceive hardened racists is a testament to his skill and savvy as both a detective and cultural code-switcher.
The book is most impactful when Stallworth reflects on his conflicted feelings as a black man forming relationships with virulent racists. His insights are profound and nuanced, shedding light on the immense psychological burden of his work.
“Black Klansman” is a highly relevant, thought-provoking read that offers valuable historical context for understanding racial divisions in America today. It serves as a chilling reminder of the persistence of extremism and a stirring call to action for racial justice. The inspiring true story celebrates a heroic triumph over insidious hatred and prejudice.
Introduction
In 1978, a black detective at the Colorado Springs Police Department responded to an ad in the local paper for information on the KKK. The investigation that followed was one the most unique and informative intelligence operations in American history. In this book review, hear Detective Ron Stallworth’s extensive work to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. Learn how the white supremacists who claimed to be superior to all minorities were outsmarted by a single black detective and his fellow officers.
The true story of how the first black detective in Colorado Springs became the first black Klansman of the KKK.
READ THIS BOOK REVIEW IF YOU:
- Want to hear a true story of good triumphing over evil
- Are interested in civil rights history
- Care about police intelligence operations
Although the white supremacists in this true story believed themselves more intelligent than any and all persons of color, a single black man proved them wrong by revealing their foolishness to the world.
Regardless of race or background, like-minded people can work together to create change. For starters, they can bring down the racists who view minorities as less-than, undeserving of respect or humanity.
A Call From the Klan
In October 1978, Detective Ron Stallworth was scanning the local paper when he noticed a classified ad offering information about the Ku Klux Klan.
Stallworth replied to the ad and requested more information. In his letter, he posed as a white man interesting in joining the KKK.
There had never been any Klan activity in the community before, and Stallworth believed the ad was a prank. Because of this, he signed his real name to the note — a mistake he would later recall as foolish, to say the least.
To his shock, Stallworth received a telephone call two weeks later from Ken O’Dell, the local organizer of the Colorado Springs KKK. The detective pretended to be a white man who hated minorities, claiming he had a vested interest in protecting the white race.
The klansman informed Stallworth that the local chapter had many plans in the works, including four upcoming cross burnings.
O’Dell and Stallworth made plans to meet up the following week. Obviously, Stallworth himself couldn’t attend the meeting. He was going to have to recruit another officer into the investigation.
Jackie Robinson and Black Panthers
Stallworth didn’t always want to be a cop. In fact, he became a cadet for the Colorado Springs Police Department with the sole purpose of using the money to put himself through college.
The program had no black cadets when Stallworth joined, and his interviewers made it clear he would have to approach the situation like Jackie Robinson, who faced racism with silence and peace. Stallworth wasn’t one to back down from a fight, but he also knew how to choose his battles carefully and protect his own well-being.
Stallworth was sworn in in 1972 and began working in the Identifications and Records Bureau. During this time, amid mountains of paperwork, he became familiar with the Narcotics Unit of the department. Stallworth was immediately fascinated by undercover operations.
College was soon forgotten, as Stallworth was determined to one day become a member of the undercover Narcotics Unit.
Stallworth was sworn is as a police officer at the age of 21, two years after he began his journey as a cadet. He was the first black man to do so in Colorado Springs.
After 10 months of patrol, Stallworth got the opportunity he had been hoping for: an undercover assignment. Although he was still a rookie, the department needed an officer to attend an upcoming speech by Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael. A white officer wouldn’t exactly fit in with the crowd.
Thanks to his good work, Stallworth officially joined the Narcotics Unit as an undercover detective three months later.
I’m the Voice, You’re the Face
Stallworth had been an undercover narcotics detective for three years by the time he spoke to Ken O’Dell on the phone. He had initially underestimated the significance of the KKK case, which led to his error of telling O’Dell his actual name. Fortunately, the Klan members weren’t the sharpest and the error didn’t cause any harm.
For obvious reasons, Stallworth needed a different detective to attend the inperson meeting with O’Dell, and he hoped to use Chuck, a fellow undercover officer.
The chief of police readily granted Stallworth the manpower necessary to begin the investigation. Chuck was eager to assist, but wondered how a black cop like Stallworth could infiltrate the KKK.
Stallworth’s plan was simple: He would communicate with the Klan over the phone, while Chuck would perform any in-person meetings. Stallworth would be the voice of the operation, while Chuck would be the face.
My New Friend David
Wired and posing as Ron Stallworth, Chuck met with O’Dell and a few other Klansmen in November 1978. The real Stallworth was in an unmarked van across the street, listening intently to the entire conversation.
The Klansmen each discussed the injustices they felt they had received at the hands of blacks and other minorities. Chuck played his part well, and the men were soon excitedly giving him an application to join the organization.
O’Dell divulged that he had been calling journalists to garner publicity for the Klan. They wanted their presence known in Colorado Springs, and were planning four cross-burnings in the future to make it crystal clear.
Chuck learned that David Duke, the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was planning to visit Colorado Springs soon, and the Klan was hoping to have 100 robed members march in the streets to show their support. O’Dell hoped that Chuck would be one of them.
David Duke stood out among other Klansmen because he was articulate and educated. He tried to mainstream the Klan by appearing peaceful and promoting racial separation rather than white elevation, yet he openly admitted that he believed whites were the superior race.
In the days following Chuck’s meeting, Stallworth completed the membership application, including his personal information and a photo of Chuck, and mailed it to the Klan headquarters.
He also responded to an advertisement in one of the Klan pamphlets O’Dell had given to Chuck, and was shocked to be speaking directly to Duke himself. The Grand Wizard responded well to Stallworth’s flattery and expressed his hopes that they would soon meet in person.
The investigation was progressing far better than Stallworth could have hoped.
Fireman and Brimstone
Stallworth began setting the groundwork for expanding his investigation by contacting Fred Wilkens, the state organizer of the Colorado Ku Klux Klan.
Wilkens lived just outside of Denver, and Stallworth hoped that building this relationship would provide an opportunity for an undercover Denver officer to infiltrate the Klan headquarters in Colorado.
Wilkens was an outspoken supporter of racial separation, believing that black Americans were degrading the country and should be separated from the whites. Much to the dismay of his community, Wilkens was also a fireman. There were many complaints to city officials, but the Klansman was always careful to abide by the law.
Much like Duke, Wilkens loved flattery. He was soon a big fan of Stallworth and filled him in on Klan details, including Duke’s impending visit to Colorado, which was set for January 1979. Wilkens talked openly about the Klan’s political goals. They hoped to have Klansmen in all levels of state government.
Meanwhile, Ken O’Dell continued to be in contact with both Chuck and Stallworth through the undercover telephone line, believing that he was speaking to the same man every time. O’Dell continued to express his hopes for having 100 robed Klansmen show their support for Duke’s visit in January.
In December 1978, O’Dell invited Chuck to a meeting at his home. At the meeting, O’Dell announced his strategy for increasing Klan membership, stating that all current members were required to recruit three additional people. The new recruits would, in turn, recruit three of their own, and so on. O’Dell hoped this would provide the 100 Klansmen he desperately wanted by January.
Stallworth realized this was the perfect opportunity to get more undercover officers into the Klan.
Before Chuck departed, O’Dell showed him a list of Klan members in the local chapter. The list included 25 names — a larger number than Chuck and Stallworth had suspected.
The problem was bigger than Stallworth had initially thought, but he was excited by the prospect of expanding his undercover operation.
Part of Our Posse
After O’Dell’s announcement about expanding the organization, Stallworth requested another officer for his undercover team. Jim, who had been helping Stallworth with surveillance already, would play the part of Chuck’s new recruit.
On December 11, O’Dell called Chuck to inform him that the local Posse Comitatus wanted to join forces with the KKK. The Posse was an extremist, right-wing group in Colorado known for violent outbursts, anti-government ideology, and racism.
Chuck took Jim to meet O’Dell and fill out his application for membership. O’Dell quickly accepted Jim due to his trust in Chuck.
He very much liked Chuck, who he believed to be Ron Stallworth, because Chuck and the real Stallworth continually stroked his ego and complimented his leadership skills.
In truth, O’Dell was a downright idiot, but he was perfectly positioned to further their intel.
KKKolorado
In the middle of December 1978, Stallworth contacted the Colorado Springs FBI office and requested any and all historical information on the Colorado Klan. He was soon given the chance to look through a top-secret file that contained heaps of information about Klan history, much of which dealt with the Klan’s attempts to infiltrate the government at the state level.
For example, in 1925 many Klan members were part of the House of Representatives in Colorado.
O’Dell and Duke talked of once again becoming a political party, hoping to infiltrate Denver as the capital city of Colorado and create policies beneficial to the white race. O’Dell was very insistent that all Klan members be registered to vote.
Stallworth was now speaking with Duke on the phone every week. A little bit of flattery was all it took before the Grand Wizard was eagerly sharing plans of marches and rallies. Although Duke never used derogatory language in public and adamantly professed to be anti-violent, his conversations with Stallworth told another story.
The detective used the information to warn police departments across America about upcoming marches, allowing them to adequately prepare.
Soon, several other agencies had caught wind of Stallworth’s investigation and were contacting him for specific information. He always made sure to steer his conversations with Duke toward the information these agencies needed.
Despite his claims of superior intelligence, Duke was none the wiser.
Induction
On December 20, 1978, Chuck and Jim attended the joint meeting of the Klan and the Posse. The two groups exchanged ideas for promoting their shared cause and recruiting new members.
On January 2, 1979, Stallworth received his KKK membership card. He was the 862nd member of the Klan in Colorado — and certainly the first black one. Stallworth called both O’Dell and Duke to thank them.
O’Dell told him that he would have to attend the upcoming nationalization ceremony, performed by Duke, for everything to be official. He also told Stallworth that there was an upcoming cross-burning on January 11, hoping that Stallworth would take part. The detective planned to send patrol cars to the location and catch O’Dell in the act.
Twelve new members were formally inducted into the Ku Klux Klan by David Duke on January 7, 1979, including undercover police officers Chuck and Jim, as well as a Denver officer.
Days later, O’Dell admitted to Stallworth that he had not been able to gather the 100 KKK members he was hoping for, thus the march in support of Duke had been canceled to avoid embarrassment.
He would, however, be calling the Denver police department to request protection for the Grand Wizard after hearing rumblings of planned anti-Klan demonstrations.
Duke of Colorado
On January 10, 1979, David Duke was scheduled to make several appearances around Colorado Springs. There had been numerous threats against the Grand Wizard, and to Stallworth’s astonishment, the chief of police wanted him to act as Duke’s security detail. The detective feared that his presence would compromise the investigation, but the chief was insistent.
Thus, the real Ron Stallworth would be joining Grand Wizard David Duke on his various appearances to promote white supremacy.
David Duke was cordial to Stallworth at first, thanking him for his commitment to security. Stallworth asked for a photo with Duke, who agreed but became disgusted when the black detective placed his hand on his shoulder.
Duke attempted to destroy the photograph but Stallworth wouldn’t allow it, using his badge to reinforce his control of the situation. After this incident, Duke was furious and refused to acknowledge Stallworth for the rest of the day.
Stallworth didn’t mind. He was amused to have gotten the upper hand on Duke, and was even more amused that neither Duke nor O’Dell recognized his voice after their many phone conversations.
This was especially ironic considering Duke had made the claim, while on the phone with Stallworth, that he could always identify a black man by his voice.
They continually and unknowingly made fools of themselves, much to the private entertainment of Stallworth, Chuck, and Jim.
Rocky Mountain Fortress
Just days after Duke’s visit to Colorado Springs, two military agents paid Stallworth a visit and took him to the North American Aerospace Defence Command, a military complex inside a hollowed-out mountain in Colorado Springs.
The agents introduced Stallworth to a colonel, who wanted to see a list of Klansmen with military ties. After viewing it, the colonel stepped away to make a serious phone call.
Stallworth later learned that two Klansmen worked at the defence command and held top-level clearance statuses. The colonel had called the Pentagon to have them transferred immediately. The agents assured Stallworth that Klan associations would not be tolerated in such high-level, top-secret positions.
Up in Smoke
Stallworth was proud that his investigation led to white supremacists being removed from their high positions in the US military. Meanwhile, he was making headway on local matters as well.
O’Dell called him several times to inform him of local cross-burnings, including the dates, times, and locations for each.
Stallworth increased police patrol presence on the nights of the planned burnings. Later, O’Dell called Stallworth and said the burnings had been canceled due to heavy police presence.
Stallworth was proud to have protected the black citizens of Colorado Springs from the terror, dread, and anger that burning crosses would inevitably incite. He was also proud to have spared black parents the job of explaining the burning crosses to their innocent children.
Stallworth approached the chief of police to discuss expanding his operation. Although he had initially been supportive of the intelligence operation, the chief was now concerned about negative publicity should the story ever reach the public.
He ordered Stallworth to cease all operations, destroy all paperwork pertaining to the investigation, and end any further contact with Duke, O’Dell, and the rest of the Klan.
Stallworth tried to convince the chief to change his mind, to no avail.
But Stallworth couldn’t stand the idea of destroying the evidence he worked so hard to attain, especially considering what the evidence had accomplished for the safety and well-being of Colorado Springs.
Stallworth secretly took the evidence home, and it has remained in his possession ever since. Had this action ever been discovered, Stallworth’s entire career would have been at risk.
But he didn’t care. To Stallworth, it was worth the risk to preserve the memory of one of the most unique undercover investigations in American history.
It was April 1979. Ron Stallworth, the Klansman, had disappeared, and Detective Stallworth’s investigation into the Ku Klux Klan was officially over. But he was proud.
Throughout the investigation, not a single cross was burned in Colorado Springs, and much of the intelligence gathered was used to prevent Klan infiltration into the government.
The very day the investigation was concluded, someone burned a cross outside of a popular black nightclub. No responsibility was ever claimed.
Afterword
Detective Ron Stallworth continued his work as an undercover officer, eventually working at agencies in Wyoming and Utah. His intelligence reports led to the formation of Salt Lake Area Gang Project, which sought to suppress gang activity in Utah.
Throughout his career in law enforcement, Stallworth received several awards and commendations, including one from the Colorado Springs Police Department for his undercover work.
The Colorado Springs Police Department has come a long way since Stallworth’s cadet interview when he was asked if he could behave quietly, like Jackie Robinson. The department now employs many people of color, who are no longer asked to stay silent in the face of discrimination.
Stallworth conducted many exciting and successful investigations in his career, but none was as unique and rewarding as the Ku Klux Klan undercover operation, wherein Detective Stallworth successfully fooled David Duke and the rest of the KKK into divulging intelligence to a black Klansman.
Ron Stallworth is a decorated law enforcement veteran and author. His 32-year career included positions related to undercover narcotics, vice, criminal intelligence, and organized crime. He was the first black detective at the Colorado Springs Police Department. In 2018, Stallworth’s account of his undercover investigation of the KKK was adapted into the film BlacKkKlansman, directed by Spike Lee. The screenplay won an Oscar.
Table of Contents
Title Page,
Copyright Notice,
Dedication,
Author’s Note,
Epigraphs,
1. A Call from the Klan,
2. Jackie Robinson and Black Panthers,
3. I’m the Voice, You’re the Face,
4. My New Friend David,
5. Fireman and Brimstone,
6. Part of Our Posse,
7. KKKolorado,
8. Induction,
9. Duke of Colorado,
10. Rocky Mountain Fortress,
11. Up in Smoke,
Photographs,
Afterword,
Acknowledgments,
About the Author,
Copyright,