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GREENSBORO — The NAACP is requesting a federal investigation into allegations that investigative records of the 1979 Klan-Nazi shootings were thrown out.

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The organization sent two letters late last week requesting a federal investigation of the Greensboro Police Department — and seeking full witness protection for officers who come forward with information pertaining to the destruction of the files, alleged by three local ministers last week.

The letters were sent to the offices of U.S. Sens. Richard Burr, Elizabeth Dole and U.S. Reps. Howard Coble and Mel Watt.

A similar letter was also sent to Gov. Mike Easley and State Attorney General Roy Cooper.

"This request is urgent because we understand the Greensboro government says it cannot investigate this allegation without the identity of the whistle-blower," reads the letter, written by the Rev. William J. Barber II, head of the state's NAACP organization.

"We believe an outside FBI investigation can find other avenues for learning the truth. The officer who broke the 'Blue No Snitch Rule' is in obvious danger."

Last Tuesday, the Revs. Cardes Brown, Gregory Headen and Nelson Johnson held a news conference to raise awareness of the allegations, hoping to prompt officials to investigate.

The ministers said that 50 boxes of records pertaining to the deadly shooting were destroyed by police in 2004 or 2005. They said they had taken their complaint to police and city officials last October but that nothing had been done.

The ministers alleged that their source, which they have declined to name, said that Lt. Craig McMinn, then a sergeant, ordered the files destroyed. The source said he believed McMinn would be willing to talk about the files with city officials, the ministers said.

Johnson, a former member of the Communist Workers Party, helped organize the "Death to the Klan" rally where the shootings took place and was present during the violence.

The Klan-Nazi shootings happened the morning of Nov. 3, 1979, just as the march was forming in the Morningside Homes community. A heavily armed caravan of Klansmen and Nazis drove into the area and confronted anti-Klan marchers, many of whom were members of what became the CWP.

During the ensuing gunfire, five anti-Klan marchers were killed and 10 others wounded. All criminal defendants later were acquitted in state and federal criminal trials. A civil jury found the city and some Klansmen liable for one of the deaths.

Barber linked the alleged file destructions to hate crimes and other high profile incidents across the state, including a recent attempted murder of an interracial couple at a Greenville Wal-Mart last month.

"We still treat hate-crimes in North Carolina like a parking ticket," he said. The state has a pattern of ignoring the racially charged nature of some incidents, he said.

In his letter to federal officials, Barber writes "only federal intervention can help unravel a dangerous situation that has developed in Greensboro."

On the phone Monday, he softened that a bit.

"It is not an issue of not having confidence in the City of Greensboro, but issues like this are bigger than Greensboro," Barber said, adding that the NAACP believed there should be "many eyes on the problem."

City officials still haven't verified whether such alleged destroyed files existed. A city spokeswoman said last week that there is nothing to indicate that files were missing.

On Friday, the Greensboro Police Department launched internal investigation into the allegations.

The same day, Guilford County District Attorney Doug Henderson advised police that, if true, throwing out the records likely didn't constitute a crime.

On Monday, city spokeswoman Pat Boswell said she was surprised by the timing of the NAACP's request, considering the police department investigation into the matter just began.

"If there is something for the FBI to look at, we will be glad to cooperate with them," Boswell said Monday night.

Monday afternoon, Police Chief Tim Bellamy said the request of a federal investigation didn't come as a surprise.

"As far as we are concerned, we have no issues with the (NAACP) asking for an investigation," Bellamy said.

"Considering how the conference went last week, I figured that would be the next step."

Mayor Yvonne Johnson said she had just returned from an overseas trip and hadn't been briefed by city staff on the allegedly destroyed documents. She said she expected to be briefed Monday night.

A spokesman for Gov. Easley could not confirm Monday evening whether the office had received the letter.

Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office, wrote in an e-mail, "We have received it, and we are reviewing the letter."

Staff Writer Margaret Moffett Banks contributed to this report.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com