For all that, King substituted a single question—how can the new President most rapidly and effectively bring about integration? “We must face the tragic fact that the federal government is the nation’s highest investor in segregation,” wrote King. His tone was unfailingly positive, as usual, and he presented his agenda as an “opportunity” for the Administration. Still, for fresh Kennedy officials, the article could be perceived only as a warning shot across the Administration’s bow, or, more accurately, across its stern.
