Malcolm X (19 page)

TO:

DIRECTOR, FBI (25-330971)

FROM:

SAC, NEW YORK (105-7809)

SUBJECT:

NATION OF ISLAM
IS-NOI
(OO: CG)

TO

:

DIRECTOR, FBI (25-330971)
DATE: 7/16/59

FROM

:

SAC, NEW YORK (105-7809) (412)

SUBJECT

:

NATION OF ISLAM
IS-NOI
(OO: CHICAGO)
ReNYairtel, 7/14/59

WALLACE:

Tonight we begin a five-part series which we call “The Hate that Hate Produced,” a story of the rise of Black Racism, of a call for black supremacy
among a growing segment of American Negroes. While city officials, state agencies, white liberals and sober-minded Negroes stand idly by, a group of Negro dissenters are taking to street corner stepladders, church pulpits, sports arenas and ballroom platforms across the nation to preach the gospel of hate that would set off a federal investigation if it were to be preached by southern whites. What are they saying? Listen—

 

“I charge the white man with being the greatest liar on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest drunkard on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest ... on earth. Yet the Bible forbids it. I charge the white man with being the greatest gambler on earth. I charge the white man, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, with being the greatest murderer on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest ... on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest adulterer on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest deceiver on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest troublemaker on earth. So therefore ladies and gentlemen of the jury I ask you to bring back a verdict of guilty as charged.”

WALLACE:

The indictment you've just heard is being told over and over again in most of the major cities across the country. This charge comes at the climax of a morality play called
The Trial
. The plot, indeed the message of the play, is that the white man has been put on trial for his sins against the black man. He has been found guilty. The sentence is death. The play is sponsored, produced by a Negro religious group who call themselves the Muslims. They use a good deal of the paraphernalia of the traditional religion of Islam. But they are fervently disavowed by orthodox Moslems. Negro American Muslims are
the most powerful of the black supremacist group. They claim a membership of a quarter of a million Negroes and our search indicates that for every so-called card carrying black supremacist there are perhaps ten fellow travelers. Their doctrine is being taught in fifty cities across the nation. Let no one underestimate the Muslims. They have their own parochial schools like this one in Chicago where Muslim children are taught to hate the white man. Even the clothes they wear are anti-white man, anti-American like these two Negro children going to school. Wherever they go the Muslims withdraw from the life of the community. They have their own stores, supermarkets, barber shops, restaurants. Here you see a progressive modern air-conditioned Muslim department store on Chicago's South side. Their story of hatred is carried in many Negro newspapers. Here you see their Minister MALCOLM X proudly displaying five of the biggest Negro papers in America. Papers published in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Newark, and Negro politicians, regardless of their private beliefs, respectfully listen when the leaders of the black supremacy movement speak. Here you see Borough President HULAN JACK shaking hands with ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, who is the leader of the Muslims, and here you see NAACP Director ROY WILKINS greeting Minister MALCOLM,
the
heir apparent to ELIJAH MUHAMMAD. Four or five times a year the Muslims assemble in one of America's major cities to hear their leader, ELIJAH MUHAMMAD. Here you see them arriving at Washington's Uline Arena for a meeting held only five weeks ago. Every devout Muslim attends these rallies, for sometime between now and 1970 and at just such a rally as this, the
Muslims expect that ELIJAH will sound the death knell of the white man. Every precaution is taken to protect their leader. As you will shortly see, the Muslims, men and women both, submit to a complete search before entering the meeting hall. Some ten thousand persons attended the rally that you see here, all of them searched like this man. This began almost three hours before the meeting started. They are waiting now for ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, founder and spiritual leader of their group. And here he comes. He is actually ELIJAH POOLE of Georgia. During World War II, MUHAMMAD was arrested and charged with sedition and draft dodging. The Department of Justice finally dropped the charge that he advocated defeat of the white democracy and victory for the colored Japanese, but MUHAMMAD and his followers did serve time in the federal penitentiary for refusing to register for the draft.

 

But of more interest to New Yorkers is Minister MALCOLM X, the Muslims' New York Minister, who you will shortly see. This is a remarkable man, a man who by his own admission to “News Beat” was once a procurer and a dope peddler. He served time for robbery in the Massachusetts State Penitentiary. Now he is a changed man. He will not smoke or drink. He will not even eat in a restaurant that houses a tavern. He told “News Beat” that his life changed when the Muslim faith taught him no longer to be ashamed of being a black man. Reporter LOUIS LOMAX asks Minister MALCOLM X to further explain MUHAMMAD‘
S
teachings. The conversation you will hear took place as LOMAX and Minister MALCOLM X
were discussing the teachings of ELIJAH MUHAMMAD.

LOMAX:

Mr. ELIJAH MUHAMMAD teaches that his faith, the Islamic faith, is for the black man. The black man is good. He also uses the Old Testament incident of the serpent in Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he sets up the proposition there that this is the great battle between good and evil and he uses the phrase “devil” and he uses it almost interchangeably and synonymously with the word
snake
. Now what does he mean there?

MALCOLM:

Well, number one he teaches us that this individual was a real serpent.

LOMAX:

It was not a real serpent.

MALCOLM:

That one in the garden.

LOMAX:

What was it?

MALCOLM:

But as you know the Bible is written in symbols, parables, and this serpent or snake is the symbol that is used to hide the real identity of the one that this actually was.

LOMAX:

Well, who was it?

MALCOLM:

The white man.

LOMAX:

I want to call your attention, Mr. MALCOLM, to one paragraph in this column. He says, and I quote him, “that only people bom of Allah are the black nation of whom the so-called American Negroes are descendants.”

MALCOLM:

Yes.

LOMAX:

Now, is this your standard teaching?

MALCOLM:

Yes. He teaches us that the black man by nature is divine.

LOMAX:

Now, does this mean that the white man by nature is evil?

MALCOLM:

By nature he is other than divine.

LOMAX:

Well, does this mean that he is evil. Can he do good?

MALCOLM:

By nature he is evil.

LOMAX:

He cannot do good?

MALCOLM:

History is best qualified to reward all research and we don't have any historic example where we have found that they collectively for the people have done good.

LOMAX:

Minister MALCOLM, you now, in Chicago and Detroit, have universities of Islam, have you not?

MALCOLM:

Yes, sir, in Detroit and Chicago.

LOMAX:

And you take your parishioners, you take children from the kindergarten ages and you train them right through high school. Is this true?

MALCOLM:

Yes, sir, from the age of four up.

LOMAX:

And you have a certified parochial school operating in Chicago?

MALCOLM:

In Chicago.

LOMAX:

And in Detroit?

MALCOLM:

And in Detroit.

LOMAX:

And kids come to your school in lieu of going to what we call regular day school?

MALCOLM:

Yes, sir.

LOMAX:

What do you teach them there?

MALCOLM:

We teach them the same things that they would be taught ordinarily in school minus the Little Black Sambo story, and things that were taught to you and me when we were growing up to breed an inferiority complex in us.

LOMAX:

Do you teach them what you just said to me that the white man is somewhat evil?

MALCOLM:

You can go to any small Muslim child and ask him where is hell or who is the devil and he wouldn't tell you that hell is down in the ground or that the devil is something invisible that you can't see. He'll tell you hell is right where he has been catching it and he'll tell you the one who is responsible for him having received this hell is the devil.

LOMAX:

And he will say that this devil is the white man?

MALCOLM:

Yes.