“The interesting point is that Moroni needed a Lamanite. What could a Lamanite do that a non-Lamanite could not? For most readers, conditioned by years of assumptions, the assumption is that he is darker skinned while Nephites were ‘white.’ However, this reason is unlikely, given the actual working-out of the plan (v. 8):
“First, Laman is not alone. Moroni has selected other men to go with him. Moroni had searched for a Lamanite and found one. His companions, were, therefore, not Lamanites. However, they approach with the one ‘true’ Lamanite. … According to the record, Laman does all of the talking, and the guards immediately accept his announcement that he is a Lamanite” (Gardner, Second Witness, 4:696–97).