It’s unknown how long Byrd held membership in the Klan. According to the Washington Post, the future senator joined in 1942, and later publicly stated that he lost interest after about a year, although in a letter dated 1946 Byrd wrote, “The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia.”…

Pierce, though, said neither of Byrd’s ranks came with much responsibility.

“Kleagle is just a recruiter — he talks to people who are interested in being in the Klan,” Pierce said. “Exalted Cyclops simply means he was head of a unit of probably no more than five people. He was sort of the coordinator for their activities.”

Pierce described an Exalted Cyclops as the guy who makes sure there are hotdogs if the group is having a barbecue.