Criticism of the police authorities was mounting here today as a result of the murder by terrorists last night of Harry T. Moore, head of the Florida section of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was preceded by another attempt to dynamite a Jewish center. Mr. Moore was killed when a bomb exploded beneath his house.
Jewish groups here, while critical of the police, are divided in their evaluation of the situation. Some think the terrorists are members of the Ku Klux Klan who direct their attacks equally against Jews, Negroes and Catholics. Other Jewish groups are inclined to believe that the anti-Jewish incidents have no direct connection with the terrorism directed at the other groups. The police say that the dynamiting of the Jewish centers in the Miami area was done by “amateurs” while the bombing of Negro quarters was accomplished by “professionals.”
Two police officers said today they believe that they foiled an attempt to dynamite a Jewish center yesterday when they surprised three men in a parked car outside of the Hialeah Jewish Center. The police officers saw a mysterious flare in the car and approached it with drawn pistols, but the auto sped away. An unexploded stick of dynamite was found on the steps of a local Catholic church this week-end.
F.B.I. officials here who are investigating terrorist activities have still not reported their findings to F.B.I. headquarters in Washington. Local police authorities have uncovered no clue so far to the criminals involved in ten bombings or attempted bombings recorded in this area in recent months.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
