Unmasking the Klansman: The Double Life of Asa and Forrest Carter

Asa Carter was a notorious white supremacist and secret Klansman in the South during the 1950s, known for his right-wing radio broadcasts and leadership in the white Citizens Council movement. He created a secret Klan strike force that engaged in brutal assaults, including an attack on jazz singer Nat King Cole and militant civil rights activists. Carter became a secret adviser to George Wallace and wrote the Alabama governors infamous 1963 inauguration speech. He disappeared from Alabama in 1972 and assumed a new identity in Abilene, Texas, masquerading as a Cherokee American novelist. Author Dan T. Carter uncovered his true identity while researching his biography of George Wallace and exposed his deception in a New York Times op-ed.

Format: Hardback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2023
Publisher: NewSouth, Incorporated

Unmasking the Klansman is a captivating biography that delves into the life of Asa Carter, a prominent white supremacist and secret Klansman from the South. During the 1950s, Carter gained notoriety for his right-wing radio broadcasts and leadership in the white Citizens Council movement, which combined racism and thinly-concealed anti-Semitism to create a secret Klan strike force. This strike force engaged in a series of brutal assaults, including an attack on jazz singer Nat King Cole and militant civil rights activists. Exploring Carter's life during these years offers valuable insights into the legal maneuvers and violence employed by white Southern segregationists to derail the civil rights movement in the region.

In the early 1960s, Carter became a secret adviser to George Wallace and played a significant role in writing the infamous 1963 inauguration speech, vowing segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever. When Carter disappeared from Alabama in 1972, few knew that he had assumed a new identity in Abilene, Texas, masquerading as a Cherokee American novelist. Using the name Forrest Carter, he published three successful Western novels, including "The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales," which Clint Eastwood later turned into a widely acclaimed 1976 movie. His last book, "The Education of Little Tree," a purported biography of his supposed Indian childhood, posthumously became a number one best-seller in 1991.

Author Dan T. Carter uncovered Forrest Carter's true identity while researching his biography of George Wallace. In a New York Times op-ed, he exposed Carter's deception, highlighting the challenges of uncovering the full story of the secretive Carter. Despite initial setbacks, Carter gained access to additional information in 2018, allowing him to complete the project and shed light on the enigmatic life of Asa Carter.

Weight: 802g
Dimension: 160 x 236 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781588384812