New biography of Martin Luther King Jr. undercuts a widely cited quote about Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr. never said he thought Malcolm X "has done himself and our people a great disservice," a biographer says. The two civil rights leaders with opposing views on nonviolence met only once, in March of 1964. (Henry Griffin/AP)

It's a biting piece of criticism aimed at Malcolm X that for decades was attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. But a new biography of King suggests history books about these two men may need to be rewritten — because King never actually said the words.

King never said he felt "Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice," author Jonathan Eig told NPR, despite that famous quote appearing in a 1965 interview with Alex Haley, for Playboy magazine.