January 28, 1965
Flies to Los Angeles and meets with attorney Gladys Towles Root and two former NOI secretaries who are filing paternity suits against EM.
Radio interview with Harry Ring on WBAI in New York.
January 29, 1965
Testifies before Illinois Attorney General, who is investigating NOI activities.
January 30, 1965
In Chicago, records “Kup’s Show,” which airs early the next morning [FBI airtel 2/4/65].
February 4, 1965
Travels to Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) is involved in a campaign for blacks’ voting rights; speaks at Brown’s Chapel AME Church.
February 5, 1965
Leaves for London at 8:11 P.M., with a ticket for Paris, Geneva, and back to New York [FBI 2/9/65].
February 8, 1965
Addresses the First Congress of the Council of African Organizations in London.
February 9, 1965
French authorities bar MX from entering the country to speak; he is forced to return to London.
February 11, 1965
Delivers speech entitled “The oppressed masses of the world cry out for action against the common oppressor” at the London School of Economics.
February 13, 1965
Flies back to New York.
February 14, 1965
MX’s house in East Elmhurst, Queens, firebombed at 2:46 A.M. [FBI 2/16/65]. Leaves for Detroit at 9:30 A.M. [FBI 2/16/65].
Registers at Statler Hilton Hotel in Detroit at 11:30 A.M. [FBI airtel 2/17/65]. Interviewed by WYXZ-TV at 4:00 P.M. [FBI airtel 2/17/65]. Speaks at first annual Dignity Projection and Scholarship Award ceremony [FBI 2/17/65].
Speaks at Detroit rally.
February 15, 1965
Six hundred people attend OAAU rally from 8:15 -10:15 P.M. at Audubon Ballroom; Benjamin X opens; MX speaks of February 14 firebombing and NOI conspiracy with KKK [FBI 2/16/65].
February 18, 1965
Evicted from home at 9:00 A.M.; moves belongings at 1:00 P.M.[FBI teletype 2/18/65].
Last formal talk given at Columbia University.
Last on-air appearance on WINS in New York.
February 20, 1965
In telephone conversation with Alex Haley, MX says, “The more I keep thinking about this thing, the things that have been happening lately, I’m not at all sure it’s the Muslims. 1 know what they can do, and what they can’t, and they can’t do some of the stuff recently going on.”
After OAAU business meeting, friend and associate Earl Grant invites MX to spend the night in the Grant household; MX replies, “You have a family. ... I don’t want anyone hurt on my account-I always knew it would end like this.”
February 21, 1965
MX shot several times at 3:10 P.M. while delivering speech at an OAAU meeting in Audubon Ballroom; Thomas Hagan (Talmage Hayer) arrested outside and charged with homicide; Reuben X charged with felonious assault on Hayer and possession of a deadly weapon; MX pronounced DOA at Vanderbilt Clinic, Presbyterian Hospital.
Martin Luther King, Jr. sends telegram to Betty Shabazz, expressing his sadness over “the shocking and tragic assassination of your husband. While we did not always see eye to eye on methods to solve the race problem, I always had a deep affection for Malcolm and felt that he had a great ability to put his finger on the existence and the root of the problem. He was an eloquent spokesman for his point of view and no one can honestly doubt that Malcolm had a great concern for the problems we face as a race. . . .”
At 10:15 P.M. a confidential witness provides FBI with a .45-caliber automatic pistol used in the shooting [FBI 3/12/65].
February 22, 1965
EM denies that he or the NOI had anything to do with a slaying. In an interview on Chicago radio station WVON, he states his “shock and surprise” at the murder.
February 23, 1965
James Farmer, CORE Director states that MX murder was “a political act, with international implications” [FBI teletype 2/24/65].
February 24, 1965
Muhammad AH asserts that he will not go into hiding because of fears of reprisal in the aftermath of MX’s assassination.
February 25, 1965
FBI removes MX from its Security Index.
February 26, 1965
Norman 3X Butler arrested at 3:00 A.M. for the murder of MX; three witnesses place him at Audubon Ballroom. [FBI 3/12/65].
February 27, 1965
9:20 A.M. MX’s body moved from Unity Funeral Home to Faith Temple Church.
9:50 A.M. services begin; Ossie Davis speaks.
11:10 A.M. procession to Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale.
11:35 A.M. arrive at cemetery.
12:45 P.M. graveside service concludes [FBI 2/28/65].
Witness identifies Hayer and Butler as two of the assassins [FBI 3/12/65].
March 1, 1965
Betty Shabazz meets with New York police detectives investigating the assassination.
March 5, 1965
Jack Barnes of the Young Socialist Alliance gives speech in tribute to MX as “an authentic voice of the forces of the American revolution” at a memorial meeting organized by the Militant Labor Forum in New York.
March 8, 1965
Witness tells New York police that he saw Hayer shoot MX while Butler and Johnson were present; he also saw Thomas 15X Johnson run out the side exit after the shooting [FBI 3/12/65].
March 10, 1965
New York County Grand Jury indicts Hayer, 22, Butler, 26, and Johnson, 29, for murder [FBI 3/12/65].
Because MMI members all have the same “clear-cut” story, investigators shift their search toward “officials of the MMI” [FBI 3/12/65].
March 25, 1965
FBI report indicates that Robert 35X and Charles 26X, on guard at the Audubon, left their posts, an act in violation of both NOI and MMI rules.
May 20, 1965
Reuben X Francis fails to appear in court in connection with felonious assault charge [FBI letter from Baumgartner to Sullivan 8/25/65].
August 20, 1965
FBI reports that Reuben X Francis has fled to Mexico.
November 5, 1965
New York Times heralds publication of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, written with Alex Haley, as “an eloquent statement.”
1965
Betty Shabazz gives birth to twin daughters, Malaak and Malikah.
January 12, 1966
Trial for MX shooting begins [FBI 2/8/66].
February 3-4, 1966
Courtroom cleared so confidential witness can testify that he turned gun in to FBI [FBI 2/9/66].
February 8, 1966
SAC Donald E. Roney of New York office says that an SA would testify on February 9 and, if necessary, produce the FD 302 indicating receipt of the gun [FBI 2/8/66].
February 9, 1966
SA testifies and produces the FD 302 [FBI 2/9/66].
February 16, 1966
SA gives Assistant District Attorney Dermody three photos, including Hayer in karate uniform, to prove that Hayer was in NOI [FBI 2/25/66].
February 21, 1966
Ballistics expert links cartridges in Hayer’s possession with the .45 used to kill MX [FBI 2/25/66].
February 24, 1966
Dermody describes photographer Durant’s testimony as “frosting on the cake.” Durant indicated that Hayer belonged to Newark chapter of NOI [FBI 2/25/66].
March 2, 1966
Hayer testifies that he and three others were hired to kill MX, and that Butler and Johnson are innocent [FBI teletype 3/3/66].
March 3–4, 1966
Johnson and his wife testify that Johnson was not at the Audubon [FBI 3/7/66].
March 11, 1966
Hayer, Butler, and Johnson convicted of murder in the first degree [FBI teletype 3/11/66].
April 14, 1966
Judge Charles Marks sentences Hayer, Butler, and Johnson to life imprisonment [FBI airtel 4/14/66].
May 29, 1980
Congressman W. Hughes of New Jersey writes FBI Director Webster and asks that he look into the assassination of MX.
June 20, 1980
Assistant Director Revell writes to Hughes to explain that the FBI has no new information.
Part III
The FBI File
Although the FBI under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover was consistently hostile toward African-American militancy, the federal government’s policies toward the Nation of Islam were inconsistent. The FBI’s surveillance of Elijah Muhammad and his followers prior to the 1960s did not result from a widely shared perception among government officials that the Nation of Islam was subversive. Instead, it resulted from the determination of Hoover and other FBI officials to continue surveillance even without explicit authority. The Nation’s potential as a stimulus for revolutionary and seditious activities became evident to the FBI mainly as a result of the increasing prominence of Malcolm X and the increasing militancy and scale of black protests.
While Hoover and other Bureau officials saw the group as one of many types of subversive black militancy, other officials of the Justice Department were not convinced that the Muslims represented a serious threat. The 1975 Church Committee hearings on intelligence activities included a summary of the discussions between the FBI and Justice Department officials regarding the Nation of Islam. In 1952, the Bureau suggested adding the Muslims to the Attorney General’s list of subversive organizations, and the following year the Department of Justice concluded that the Nation of Islam would not be prosecuted under the anti-communist Smith Act but decided that “the group would under certain circumstances represent a serious threat to our national security.” In 1954, the Justice Department decided against prosecuting the Nation for conspiracy to violate the Selective Service Act. In 1955, the Justice officials responded inconclusively to the FBI’s request for advice on whether Muslim activists should remain on the Security Index. In 1959, the Department indicated to Hoover that it did not support prosecution of the Nation or designation on the Attorney General’s list. In 1960, according to testimony before the Church Committee, the Department advised that the group was not subversive as defined by the employee security program. However, the FBI was requested to continue its investigation of the group.
Hoover noted on the bottom of that memorandum, after he received it, that Justice was “just stalling.”
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
—related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency.
b7
—(c) could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
—(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.2
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. 37–39.
2. From “Explanation of Exemptions” obtained from the FBI’s public reading room.
SECTION 1
May 4, 1953–January 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 information—aliases, prison record, places of residence, and employment—the 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.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
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
SYNOPSIS OF FACTS:
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.
DETAILS:
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.
I. BACKGROUND
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.
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