"I Bombed the Synagogue": WDEF News 12 on Joseph Paul Franklin's Chattanooga Trial, 1984

Name: "I Bombed the Synagogue": WDEF News 12 on Joseph Paul Franklin's Chattanooga Trial, 1984
Uploaded: 2013-11-21T00:00:00Z
Duration: 3 min 56 s
Description: A 1984 WDEF News 12 report from the closing day of Joseph Paul Franklin's Chattanooga trial for the 1977 Beth Shalom synagogue bombing, when he told the jury he had done it; re-aired by the station after his 2013 execution.

A 1984 WDEF News 12 report from the closing day of Joseph Paul Franklin's Chattanooga trial for the 1977 Beth Shalom synagogue bombing, when he told the jury he had done it; re-aired by the station after his 2013 execution.

Subject: Joseph Paul Franklin
Recorded: about July 12, 1984
Runtime: 3:56

Content warning: Contains antisemitic and racist statements by the subject, read aloud from his confession; concerns a synagogue bombing (no one was hurt) and refers to murders without detail.

The Interview

This is not an interview with Joseph Paul Franklin, and he is not heard in it. It is a 1984 report by WDEF News 12 in Chattanooga from the last day of his trial for the 1977 bombing of the Beth Shalom synagogue, re-aired by the station in November 2013 after his execution, with a short new introduction. Reporter Gene Pinder summarizes the evidence and reads passages from the transcript of Franklin's taped confession to a police inspector, describes the closing arguments, and reports the moment Franklin stood up and told the jury he had bombed the synagogue. The report also includes the district attorney general and a member of Chattanooga's Jewish community.

Historical Context

Franklin, born James Clayton Vaughn Jr. in Mobile, Alabama, in 1950, traveled the United States between 1977 and 1980 attacking Black people, interracial couples and Jewish people. One of his earliest attacks was the bombing of the Beth Shalom synagogue in Chattanooga on July 29, 1977; the building was destroyed, and no one was hurt. Before he was charged with the bombing he had been arrested in Lakeland, Florida, in October 1980 and convicted in Utah in 1981 of the murders of Ted Fields and David Martin in Salt Lake City, for which he was serving life sentences. He was later convicted of other murders, sentenced to death in Missouri for the 1977 killing of Gerald Gordon, and executed on November 20, 2013.

Circumstances of the Recording

Franklin confessed to the bombing on February 29, 1984, at the federal prison in Marion, Illinois, in the presence of a federal agent and a Chattanooga police officer. A Hamilton County grand jury indicted him on March 7, 1984, and he was tried in Hamilton County Criminal Court from July 10 to 12, 1984, before Judge Doug Meyer. His court-appointed lawyers were Hugh Moore and Jerry Summers. The station's 2013 introduction notes that he had never been tried for two killings he had confessed to in the Chattanooga area, because he already faced a death sentence.

What the Interview Covers

The report reads from Franklin's confession: where he said he bought the dynamite, how he said he set it off with extension cords run to a nearby motel, why he said he chose the synagogue, and his antisemitic religious beliefs. It summarizes the prosecution's closing argument (by prosecutor Stan Lanzo) and the defense's attack on contradictions in the taped confession, including the type of explosive. It then reports that Franklin, surrounded by federal marshals, told the jury, "I'll admit to you I bombed the synagogue." District Attorney General Gary Gerbitz says that hearing the tape was what convinced: "He was our best witness." The jury deliberated for less than an hour and found Franklin guilty on two counts. A member of the Jewish community speaks about why it mattered to hear what Franklin said.

What Makes the Recording Significant

It is contemporary local coverage of the only trial for the Chattanooga synagogue bombing, one of the earliest attacks in Franklin's campaign, recorded on the day he admitted the crime in open court. The report preserves the prosecutor's view that the taped confession, heard in Franklin's own voice in court, was the decisive evidence.

Archival Importance

WDEF returned to this footage from its own archive on the day after Franklin's execution.

Important Caveats

Franklin's own voice is not heard: the passages of his confession are read aloud from the trial transcript (the speaker names are spoken), and his statement to the jury is quoted by the reporter. His account of the bombing, including the explosive he described, was disputed by his own lawyers at trial. The report calls him 33; he was 34 in July 1984. The "two murders he confessed to in our area" are the station's description and are not detailed in the video. The spelling of the reporter's name is taken from the audio and is not verified. The synagogue's name is spelled here as in the Tennessee Supreme Court opinion; the congregation's own spelling is often Beth Sholom.

Anchor: Franklin never faced trial for the two murders he confessed to in our area, since he already faced a death sentence. But the city brought him back to town to stand trial for the bombing. And tonight we're going to take you back into our archives for the trial of Joseph Paul Franklin in Chattanooga almost 30 years ago.

Gene Pinder: The jury followed along with transcripts as Franklin described in detail how he bought the 50 pounds of dynamite, how he blew up the synagogue, and how he committed various other crimes, including murder. The Alabama native said he bought the explosives a month before the bombing.

Gene Pinder: Inspector Charles Love: "Do you remember where the store was?" Franklin: "It was somewhere, I believe it was near Red Mountain somewhere. Is there a Red Mountain?" Inspector Love: "Near Red Bank?" Franklin: "Red Bank, yeah, or something. Seemed like there was a mountain there or something."

Gene Pinder: Later in the interview Franklin identifies it as Signal Mountain and the store as Mill and Mine Supply Company. Franklin went on to say how he placed the box of dynamite under the synagogue and then ran extension cords to a nearby motel, where he plugged them in, triggering the explosion.

Gene Pinder: Inspector Love: "Why did you pick that particular synagogue, or a synagogue at all?" Franklin: "So I can kill some Jews, some Khazars." Inspector Love: "There are several in Chattanooga. Why did you pick the Beth Shalom synagogue?" Franklin: "It just seemed like the best location. I looked it up in the yellow pages, and it just looked like it was the best, you know, the easiest to get to."

Gene Pinder: To get an idea of Franklin's racial views, here are some statements from the transcripts.

Gene Pinder: Franklin: "The Jews are mentioned in Revelation 13, and they get their power from Satan. They're referred to in the Bible as the beast, and they get their power from the dragon, who is Satan. It's like Hitler said, [unclear: "they hadn't come the Jews that lived in" / possibly "the Jews are the living"] personification of Satan [unclear: "and earth" / "on earth"]. They're trying to destroy the white race, which is Israel, through race mixing."

Gene Pinder: Prosecuting attorney Stan Lanzo began the closing remarks by saying Franklin was hiding behind the facade of God and that the jury should put him where he belongs, in jail. "He'll kill you if you're born Jewish, or if you're white and you're seen talking to a black person," Lanzo said. "If he sees it, he'll kill you." Defense attorney Hugh Moore countered by carefully pointing out the contradictions in Franklin's tape confession, which was aired Wednesday. For example, Franklin said he used a particular kind of explosive called a slurry mix, when federal agents found no evidence of the mix at the site of the bombing. Defense attorney Jerry Summers was then going to emphasize those discrepancies when Franklin suddenly said he wanted to address the jury. Judge Meyer agreed, and while federal marshals surrounded him, the self-avowed racist stunned everyone in the courtroom by saying to the jury, quote, "I'll make your job a little easier. I'll admit to you I bombed the synagogue. I'll tell anybody around," Franklin said. "It was the synagogue of Satan." District Attorney General Gary Gerbitz said even without Franklin's statement, the evidence against him was overwhelming.

Gary Gerbitz: If there's one super significant thing, it surely was the fact that when you play that tape and you listen to the man talk, and not just read it in a [unclear: "cold record" / "court record"], you realize this is the guy that did it. And he knows what he's talking about. He did it. He did it for a reason, and it's pretty well expressed. He was our best witness.

Gene Pinder: The jury deliberated less than an hour. Franklin was found guilty of two counts, one for the illegal possession of explosives and for the bombing of the Beth Shalom synagogue in 1977. For the members of the Jewish faith attending the trial, the importance of the verdict went beyond keeping the 33-year-old Alabama native behind bars.

Jewish Community Member: It's very easy in this country to respect someone for different beliefs, different lifestyles, different practices, but it's another, and maybe even to dislike some people who don't share your common lifestyles and practices, but it's another thing to take that into action. That's life threatening, and that's what people should be concerned with. And I think it's important to see and hear what these people say, and who they are and what they are, and while it may hurt emotionally to listen, it's very important to hear it.

Gene Pinder: Franklin's sentence will follow the four consecutive life sentences he faces for the two murders in Salt Lake City, which brings up an interesting question. Some people were wondering, why should we have bothered with the expense of this trial? Well, Criminal Court Judge Doug Meyer said it best when he said that this trial should put the word out that we will not tolerate any crimes against humanity. At the Criminal Court building, Gene Pinder, TV 12 Tri-State reports. ---