Confederate Underground
The Confederate Underground (also known as Confederate Union and Confederate Center of Information)[1] was an alleged group which claimed responsibility for several bombings including the bombing of the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple on October 12, 1958 in Atlanta. A police informant claimed the group consisted of six to eight members headed by attorney J.B. Stoner.[2] The FBI was unable to confirm this.
A United Press International (UPI) staff member had received a call earlier that night warning that a bombing would occur, but did not take the call seriously. At 3:45 a.m., shortly after the bombing, UPI staff received a call from "General Gordon of the Confederate Underground" who said "We bombed a temple in Atlanta. This is the last empty building in Atlanta we will bomb. All nightclubs refusing to fire their Negro employees will also be blown up. We are going to blow up all Communist organizations. Negroes and Jews are hereby declared aliens."
Five men associated with the National States' Rights Party, a white supremacist group, were arrested. Only one was tried for the bombing (George Bright) and after a second trial he was acquitted.
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Video
President Eisenhower condemns the temple bombing attributed to the Confederate Underground.
