Senate crashes Helms ’ attempt to block holiday honoring King

W A SH IN G TO N — The Senate, in a b it te r rev iva l o f the c iv il r igh ts debates o f the 1960s, crushed 76 to 12 on Tuesday e ffo rts by Republican Jesse Helm s to b lo ck establishm ent o f a federa l h o lid a y h o n o rin g the late Dr. M artin Lu the r K in g Jr. Leading a sm all g roup o f co n ­ servatives, the N o rth C arolina Senator said K in g ’s a ffilia tions w ith “ far le ft e lem en ts and e lem ents o f the C om m un is t Party USA” d is­ q u a lifie d h im fo r status as a nationa l hero. Supporters o f a ho liday to ce lebra te the the c iv il r ig h t ’s leader’s b irthday denounced Helm s fo r ru n n in g a “ sm ear campaign. ” Even as H elm s argued on the Senate flo o r, a federa l judge con ­ s ide red his appeal fo r release o f sealed FBI files. H e lm s said those docum ents w o u ld fu r th e r his case tha t K in g was in fluenced by to p aides in the c iv i l r ig h ts m ovem ent w h o w e re com m unists . U.S. D is tr ic t Judge John Lew is Sm ith Jr. heard a rgum ents from law yers fo r H elm s w h o said the Senate shou ld be g iven access to w ire ta p files from 1963 to 1968 before Congress decides w h e th e r King, a N obe l Prize w in n e r, should be honored w ith a holiday. K in g was assassinated on the ba l­ con y o f a M em phis, Tenn., m o te l A p ril 4, 1968. The Senate was scheduled to vote W ednesday on the ho lid a y leg isla­ t io n itse lf, and R epublican o ffic ia ls said it is expected to be approved by a w id e margin. Before the Senate vo ted against sending the b il l back to com m ittee , Helm s sparked a personal exchange w ith Sen. Edwar t d M. Kennedy, DMass., w hen he reca lled that K en­ nedy ’s o w n b ro the rs w ere concerned w ith K in g ’s alleged lin k to com m unists. H elm s said the late President John F. Kennedy, cau tioned K in g about the com m un is t background o f his advisers, and that the late R obert F. Kennedy, approved FBI w ire taps on K in g ’s residences and h o te l room s w hen Robert was a tto rney general.