Malcolm X (11 page)
Authors: Clayborne Carson
During the 1960s, Justice Department officials questioned whether Elijah Muhammad's prophesies constitute subversive threats but did not request that the FBI discontinue its investigation of the Nation of Islam. Without explicit instructions from Justice Department officials, the FBI continued to compile information on the Muslims until after the death of Elijah Muhammad.
1
The following documents are selected from the large body of FBI records that refer to Malcolm X. They have been edited to eliminate repetitive material and some material from non-FBI sources, such as newspaper articles on Malcolm X. The Bureau opened its file on Malcolm X shortly after his release from prison in March, 1953 and in 1958 designated him “a key figure” as a result of his increasing national visibility. Even after his assassination, the Bureau continued to refer to Malcolm in its reports, especially after 1966, when the Bureau broadened the focus of its COINTELPRO from leftist organizations to include “Black nationalist-hate groups.”
The file is divided into 19 sections, chronologically arranged. Included in the reports are Malcolm's personal correspondence, reports of speeches and sermons, and transcripts of radio and television interviews.
Before releasing this file, the Federal Bureau of Investigation deleted numerous passages in accordance with exemptions allowed under the Freedom of Information Act. The specific reasons for many deleted passages are indicated by the references to subsections of Title 5, United States Code, Section 552. Thus, deleted sections with the following references were withheld because they were deemed to meet the following criteria:
b2 | ârelated solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency. |
b7 | â(c) could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. |
 | â(d) could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source, including a State, local, or foreign agency or authority or any private institution which furnished information on a confidential basis, and, in the case of a record or information compiled by a criminal law enforcement authority in the course of a criminal investigation, or by an agency conducted a lawful national security intelligence investigation, information furnished by a confidential source. |
1.
United States Senate, Hearings before the Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, v. 6, Federal Bureau of Investigation, testimony of Frederick A. O. Schwarz, Jr., November 18, 1975, p. 37â39.
2.
From “Explanation of Exemptions” obtained from the FBI's public reading room.
SECTION 1
May 4, 1953âJanuary 28, 1955
REPORTS: | 1. May 4, 1953. Boston 2. March 16, 1954. Detroit 3. September 7, 1954. New York 4. November 18, 1954. Philadelphia 5. January 28, 1955. New York |
Suspecting that Malcolm X had communist sympathies, the FBI began its surveillance of him in 1953. The Bureau apparently became concerned about Malcolm because of a June 1950 letter, in which Malcolm stated that he had “always been a Communist.” The first two reports reprinted below are labeled “Security Matter-C,” but the FBI file increasingly focuses on Malcolm's affiliation with the Nation of Islam (NOI) rather than the possibility of leftist political activity.
In addition to background informationâaliases, prison record, places of residence, and employmentâthe reports in this section describe Malcolm's attitudes during the initial period of his affiliation with the Nation of Islam (NOI). Particularly interesting are three letters that a confidential source gave the FBI, the last of which might be the letter addressed to that confidential source. This apologetic note, written in January 1951, may have been part of an effort by Malcolm to convince a corrections officer that he should be granted parole later that year. However, this wish was denied, and Malcolm had to wait until 1952.
As the file continues, the FBI reports reflect Malcolm's increasing prominence in the Nation of Islam by detailing events of early 1954, when he was “traveling about the United States making contacts with the various Temples of the Muslim Cult of
Islam” (MCI). The September 7 report indicates that during January and February of 1954, Malcolm increased his speaking appearances at Temple No. 7 in New York City, calling for “greater hatred on the part of the cult towards the white race.” The November 18 report shows that Malcolm had by this time established his residence in New York City and had begun to deliver speeches at Temple No. 7 with stronger political content. His autobiography indicates that he was officially the Minister of Temple No. 11 in Boston early in 1954 but had moved to Philadelphia's Temple No. 12 in March. The FBI could not keep up with these rapid changes, but the file does corroborate Malcolm's autobiographical account of his becoming Minister of New York City's Temple No. 7 by the summer of 1954.
The final report of this section contains more background on Malcolm, the NOI (MCI) and the Fruit of Islam (FOI), the all-male, military guard unit of the NOI. The report concludes with an account of one of only two interviews which the FBI conducted with Malcolm. In it, he admitted membership in New York's Temple No. 7 but not in any other Temples. He spoke about Elijah Muhammad and the Muslim movement but “was very uncooperative” by refusing to elaborate on the infrastructure of the NOI.
This case originated at: Detroit
Report made at: Boston
Date when made: 5/4/53
Period for which made: 3/20;4/1,3,6/53
Report made by: SA [BUREAU DELETION] b7C
Title: MALCOLM K. LITTLE, was Malachi Shabazz;
“Rhythm Red” Little; “Detroit Red” Little; Jack Carlton
Character of case: Security Matter-C; Security Matter-MCI
Subject resides at 4336 Williams Street, Inkster, Michigan. Subject claimed in June, 1950, that he was a Communist and during September, 1952, he indicated membership in the Muslim Cult of Islam.
This investigation was predicated upon information received from [BUREAU DELETION] Norfolk, Massachusetts, to the
effect that the Subject [BUREAU DELETION] had written two letters that included comments on Communism.
Birth
[BUREAU DELETION] the Subject was born May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a citizen by virtue of his birth. Employment
Information received from Boston Informant [BUREAU DELETION] of known reliability, reflects the Subject is presently unemployed.
Residence
[BUREAU DELETION] Subject resides at the home of his brother at 4336 Williams Street, Inkster, Michigan.
Military Service
[BUREAU DELETION] Massachusetts State Prison, Charlestown, Massachusetts, advised Subject's Selective Service status had been verified by prison authorities during the late 1940s and information obtained from Selective Service records reflected Subject was registered with Local Board No. 59, New York, New York, and classified 4-F.
Status of Health
Information received from [BUREAU DELETION] reflects Subject is under a doctor's care at the present time. The nature or extent of his illness is not known.
Criminal
[BUREAU DELETION] Subject was sentenced to serve 8 to 10 years on a charge of breaking and entering in the nighttime and that he began this sentence February 27, 1946. [BUREAU DELETION] Subject was eligible for parole May 29, 1951, but was denied parole at that time.
On September 23, 1953 [BUREAU DELETION] Norfolk Prison Colony, Massachusetts, stated Subject is a former inmate and had been paroled in care of Michigan parole authorities on August 7, 1952.
The following record was obtained from [BUREAU DELETION] Massachusetts State Board of Probation, Boston, Massachusetts,
the central repository for all arrest records in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
Credit
The records of the Credit Bureau [BUREAU DELETION] contained no reference to Subject.
The Communist Party has been cited by the Attorney General of the United States as coming within the purview of Executive Order 9835.
[BUREAU DELETION] several excerpts from letters written by Subject. [BUREAU DELETION] these excerpts were not
quotes but rather notes jotted down [BUREAU DELETION] on the contents of these letters.
On June 29, 1950, the Subject mailed a letter.
Editors Note.
The file indicates that an unidentified source copied out sentences from this letter. In one of them Malcolm states that he has always been a Communist. In World War II, Malcolm says, he attempted to enlist in the Japanese Army, with the result that he will now never be drafted into the U.S. Army. He adds that it's not difficult to convince anyone that he's crazy since everyone has always said he was anyway
.
In January, 1952 [BUREAU DELETION] Subject had been visited by [BUREAU DELETION] a member of the Crispus Attucks Club of the American Youth for Democracy. The AYD has been cited by the Attorney General of the United States as coming within the purview of Executive Order 9835.
There is no further information concerning the Subject's Communist activities in Boston.
[BUREAU DELETION] the Muslim Cult of Islam, which is also known as the Allah Temple of Islam, is a religious cult whose members regard Allah as their supreme being and claim to be the direct descendants of the original race on earth. The members fanatically follow the teachings of Allah as interpreted by ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, the “true prophet of Allah” entitled titular head of the Muslim Cult of Islam in the United States, and believe that any civil law which conflicts with the Muslim law should be disobeyed. The members disavow their allegiance to the United States and pledge their allegiance only to Allah and do not consider it their duty to register for Selective Service or to serve in the United States Armed Forces as they cannot serve two masters. According to the teachings of ELIJAH MUHAMMAD and the cult's ministers, the members of a minority race in the United States are not citizens of this country but are merely slaves of this country and will continue to be slaves until they
free themselves by destroying non-Muslims and Christianity in the “War of Armageddon.”
[BUREAU DELETION] the cult teaches that the Korean War is a futile effort by the United States to prevent the coming Asiatic conquest of the world and the defeat of the United States in Korea is a prelude to the “resurrection” when North America and Great Britain will be doomed and the original man, led by Allah, will reign supreme.
[BUREAU DELETION] the following information taken from another letter of Subject of January 29, 1950:
It is better to be jailed by the devil for serving Allah than it is to be allowed by the devil to walk free. The black man has been enslaved. The time is coming for the devils to be destroyed.
On September 23, 1952, [BUREAU DELETION] provided SA [BUREAU DELETION] with three letters, one of which is addressed to him.
Editor's Note.
Of the three letters included in the file, the first two are written by Malcolm as Salaam Alaikum in the name of Allah and His Messenger, Elijah Muhammad; they are signed “Your Brother, Malachi Shabazz.” The names of the correspondents in both cases have been deleted by the FBI
.
“This is the Day of Choosing (Separation),” Malcolm announces in the first letter, which he closes with a motto; “Each One teach One!!!”
In the second letter, “Stick close to the Muslims, “Malcolm admonishes, and risk ridicule, for it is “better to be laughed at and be safe from the storm [like Noah], than to be caught in the storm just because you didn't want to be laughed at.”
The third letter, more personal in tone, is dated January 9, 1951. In it Malcolm apologizes to his correspondent, whose name has been deleted by the bureau, for past disruptive behavior “while under your jurisdiction.” Having asserted that “from here on in my words shall be of Love and Justice,” he concludes with this statement of his sincerity; “You have always
spoke frankly to me, and treated me with squareness . . . so how could I ever be any other way except square and frank with you?” The letter is signed Malcolm K. Little
.