Martin Luther King Jr. was indeed considered a hero by many today, revered for his leadership in the civil rights movement and his advocacy for nonviolent protest against racial segregation and discrimination. However, during the 1960s, he faced significant opposition and was indeed targeted by the FBI.

The FBI, under the leadership of Director J. Edgar Hoover, had a program known as COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), which was aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations deemed subversive. Although COINTELPRO targeted various groups, including communist organizations and groups associated with the New Left, it also targeted civil rights organizations and leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr.

The FBI's surveillance of King was motivated by Hoover's belief that King's association with alleged communists made him a threat to national security. The FBI monitored King's activities closely, wiretapping his phones, bugging his offices and hotel rooms, and even attempting to blackmail him with evidence of extramarital affairs.

This targeting of King and other civil rights leaders reflects the broader context of the time, where the federal government, particularly under Hoover's leadership, viewed civil rights activism with suspicion and sought to undermine it through various means, including covert surveillance and harassment.

Despite this surveillance and harassment, Martin Luther King Jr. persisted in his activism, ultimately helping to bring about significant legislative and social changes that advanced civil rights in the United States. Over time, public perception of King has shifted, and he is now widely celebrated for his courage, leadership, and contributions to the struggle for racial equality.