16th Street Baptist Church bombing

==A possible fifth conspirator==
Although both Blanton and Cherry denied their involvement in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, until his death in 1985, Robert Chambliss repeatedly insisted that the bombing had been committed by Gary Thomas Rowe Jr. Rowe had been encouraged to join the Klan by acquaintances in 1960. He became a paid FBI [[informant]] in 1961.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z_tLAAAAIBAJ&pg=6777,1768735 |work=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=February 18, 1980 |title=Hoover Let 4 Off Hook In Murders |first=Howell |last=Raines |access-date=May 28, 2019 }}</ref> In this role, Rowe acted as an agent provocateur between 1961<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/us/gary-t-rowe-jr-64-who-informed-on-klan-in-civil-rights-killing-is-dead.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 4, 1998 |title=Gary T. Rowe Jr., 64, Who Informed on Klan In Civil Rights Killing, Is Dead |first=Michael T. |last=Kaufman |access-date=May 28, 2019 }}</ref> and 1965. Although informative to the FBI, Rowe actively participated in violence against both black and white civil rights activists. By Rowe's own later admission, while serving as an FBI informant, he had shot and killed an unidentified black man and had been an [[Accessory (legal term)|accessory]] to the murder of [[Viola Liuzzo]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qWdPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6790,3991996 |work=The Times-News |date=October 3, 1978 |title=Long Fight Predicted In Case Against Rowe |access-date=May 28, 2019 |agency=Associated Press }}</ref>

Investigative records show that Rowe had twice failed [[polygraph]] tests when questioned as to his possible involvement in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and two separate, non-fatal explosions.<ref name=informer>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PP4xAAAAIBAJ&pg=6080%2C3226591 |title=Paid FBI Informer Tells Of Murder, Silence |first=Howell |last=Raines |work=[[Ocala Star-Banner]] |date=July 11, 1978 |access-date=May 28, 2019 }}</ref> These polygraph results had convinced some FBI agents of Rowe's culpability in the bombing. Prosecutors at Chambliss's 1977 trial had initially intended to call Rowe as a witness; however, DA William Baxley had chosen not to call Rowe as a witness after being informed of the results of these polygraph tests.

Although never formally named as one of the conspirators by the FBI, Rowe's record of deception on the polygraph tests leaves open the possibility that Chambliss's claims may have held a degree of truth.<ref name=informer /> Nonetheless, a 1979 investigation cleared Rowe of any involvement in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3379 |website=encyclopediaofalabama.org |title=Gary Thomas Rowe Jr. |first=Keith S. |last=Hebert |access-date=May 28, 2019 }}</ref>