James Ingram Quote

The FBI Versus the Klan
Part 3: Standing Tall in Mississippi

Special Agent James Ingram:

“... [O]ne Klan businessman in Philadelphia, Mississippi said, ‘I’ll whip any FBI agent that walks into my store.’ John Proctor, who was the [supervisory agent] in Meridian [Mississippi] … went into the store… And, with the store filled with customers, said, ‘Mr. So and So, I understand that you’re going to whip any FBI agent that walks into your store. I’m not armed, but I wanted to let you know if you would like to whip me, let’s get started.’ (laughs) And the man grumbled and said, ‘Look, that was a misunderstanding. I didn’t say it.’ … So Proctor said, ‘You put the word out that you didn’t mean it. You also put the word out that I’ve been instructed by Jim Ingram, my supervisor, and Roy Moore, my agent in charge, that any other Klansman that’s interested in whipping an FBI agent, just let us know.’”