Choose the lines from the first paragraph in which king expresses his desire to remain on good terms with his readersmy dear fellow clergymen:
while confined here in the birmingham city jail, i came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."
seldom do i pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas
if i sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and i would have no time for constructive work.
but since i feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, i want to try to answer your statements in what i hope will be patient and reasonable terms..