'Klan letter' seen as possible hoax

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OKLAHOMA CITY, April 14 (UPI) -- A one-page letter allegedly promoting lynching and terrorism and publicizing an Oklahoma City Ku Klux Klan rally may be a hoax, officials say.

The April 7 letter, whose opening line, "Hello Fellow White Oklahomans and Christians," was sent to a number of Oklahoma businesses including the Black Chronicle newspaper, KWTV, Oklahoma City, reported Tuesday. It read, in part:

"We want to reassert white supremacy through terrorism and intimidation. We want to bring back lynching" and "we want a law passed so that Oklahoma Darkies are only allowed to come out from 9 p.m. to 12 p.m."

The return address was listed as the John Birch Institute. Bill Hahn, public relations manager for The John Birch Society, disavowed any responsibility for the letter.

"We do not know who sent it. We do not approve of the letter's message and strongly denounce both the message and the individual or group involved in this disgusting and illegal activity. We have reported this to the Oklahoma City Police Department," Hahn said.

Oklahoma City police say they have not been able to find an originating fax number to trace the letter to. And HateTrackers.com, which follows hate groups across the United States, questioned the legitimacy and source of the letters.

"It's a hoax. The United White Knights do not openly declare illegal or terrorist acts and they're now more into white separatism than white supremacy, and more likely to be raging against illegal immigrants," the editor of HateTrackers.com said in an e-mail message.