Federal Bureau of Investigation - Freedom of Information Privacy Act

American Negro Labor Congress (87 pages) "During October of 1925, the American Negro Labor Congress met in Chicago, Illinois. The aim of the Congress was to mobilize and coordinate African-American workers to abolish lynching, industrial discrimination, political disfranchisement, and segregation of the races. The American Negro Labor Congress was against "Jim Crow" unions for African-American workers and supported the inclusion of African-American workers into established unions. The investigation of this organization was closed in February of 1926."

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Marian Anderson (123 PAGES) "Marian Anderson, well-known singer, was born February 27, 1902, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Ms. Anderson was the subject of a Special Inquiry investigation prior to her possible appointment by the President of the United States to a position at the Department of State. Marian Anderson toured the United States and Europe and was awarded Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music from Howard University, Temple University and Smith College. "

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Louis Armstrong (24 PAGES) "Louis Armstrong, well-known jazz trumpeter, was born in 1900. Mr. Armstrong toured extensively with his jazz band in the United States, as well as Europe, Africa, Australia and the Soviet Union. In 1970, jewelry valued at $30,000 was stolen from Mr. Armstrong's hotel room at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California. The material concerning Louis Armstrong is a summary of his activities; he was never investigated by the FBI."

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Arthur Ashe (17 PAGES) "Arthur Ashe was an African American professional tennis player. He is mentioned within six references of records maintained within FBIHQ main files concerning the Black Panther Party, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, the Revolutionary Union and two newspaper articles. Mr. Ashe was not investigated by the FBI."

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BAKER, JOSEPHINE (359 PAGES) "The FBI records reflect that this famous African-American nightclub entertainer was accused of communistic affiliations."

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Black Panther Party (2,895 PAGES) "These records report the investigation of the Winston Salem, North Carolina, chapter of the Black Panther Party."

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Roberto Clemente "Mr. Clemente was a baseball player who played right field with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League. His mother, sister and fiancee' visited him in Pittsburgh in 1964. Mr. Clemente received an extortion letter in 1972. The letter threatened him with being shot during a game in September 1972. He played the game without incident. No further threats were received, so no additional action was taken concerning the threat. He spent his off-seasons in Puerto Rico. "

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Nat King Cole "Nathaniel Adams Cole, also known as Nat King Cole, was born on March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama. He was a well known Negro musician, who lived in the Los Angeles area. He was reported, at one time, to be associated with members of the Communist Party. It was also alleged that he was a Communist Party member. Mr. Cole had problems with the Internal Revenue Service, who seized his home for back payment of taxes; however, he was able to recover his home. In 1956, Mr. Cole was attacked in Birmingham, Alabama, and four men were arrested, fined, and sentenced to jail. In the year of 1957, strip hotels in Las Vegas began renting rooms to blacks, and entertainers, such as Mr. Cole were permitted to stay in the hotels when they were performing on stage. "

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Dorothy Dandridge "Dorothy Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. She was also known as Dorothy D. Nicholas. She attended an NAACP meeting with her husband, Harold Nicholas. She later moved to France and lived there as an entertainer. Her name appears in FBI files, but she was not the subject of an FBI investigation. "

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Sammy Davis, Jr. "Sammy Davis, Jr. was born on December 8, 1925, in New York City. He began his career in 1928 as a singer. He is also known for his music recordings, and appearances in movies and Broadway shows. He served in the United States Army from 1943 through 1945. He was the victim of two extortion attempts, one in 1961 and the other in 1973. The Assistant United States Attorneys declined prosecution in both cases. The first letter was thought to be a crank-type letter, and the second letter was mailed by a former mental patient who sent letters regularly to well known people. In December 1963, it was alleged that Sammy Davis, Jr. had been kidnaped several years ago by some Chicago mobsters while he was appearing in Las Vegas, and released after being told to forget about marrying movie actress Kim Novak. "

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DUBOIS, W.E.B. (927 PAGES) "William E.B. DuBois, former Director of Publications of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was of interest to the FBI due to his affiliation with communist front groups."

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Medgar Evers "Medgar Evers was born on July 2, 1925 in Decatur Mississippi. He became the State Field Secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On June 12, 1963, Evers was slain in the driveway of his home, by a sniper's bullet. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C. with full Military Honors, having been a veteran of World War II. A fingerprint found on the telescopic gunsight near the murder scene was traced to Bryon De La Beckwith, a white segregationist, from Greenwood, Mississippi. He was charged with the murder. Two mistrials were declared when the all white juries could not break the deadlock. Mr. Evers was also the subject in two Civil Rights file, wherein, he took part in demonstrations in Jackson, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana. "

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Ella Fitzgerald "Ella Fitzgerald Brown was born April 25, 1918, at Newport News, Virginia. She used Ella Fitzgerald as her stage name. She was a jazz singer who traveled with the Jazz at the Philharmonic, a nine piece orchestra. The leader of the orchestra was an alleged member of the Communist Party. She toured Europe on several occasions giving concerts in different countries. "

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Marvin Gaye "Marvin Gaye, a singer, who performed on stage for a fee of $40,000 per performance, was paid by his production company. However, when he arrived in both Richmond and Norfolk, he insisted he hadn't received the $40,000 from either city and they had to pay him again before he would perform. The company who sponsored Gaye's performance made $10,000 less than it was paid out, therefore, they tried to recover the money they paid out twice. "

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FRED HAMPTON "Fred Hampton, age 21, was allegedly shot and killed by the Cook County State Attorneys Police, Chicago, Illinois, on December 4, 1969, when the police conducted a raid on the Black Panther Party (BPP) Headquarters located at 2337 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois. Also killed was BPP member Mark Clark, age 22. Six members of the BPP were wounded during this raid. United States Attorney General John Mitchell called for an investigation so that matters could be provided to a Federal Grand Jury. "

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JAMES MARSHALL "JIMMY" HENDRIX

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BILLIE HOLIDAY "Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915, in Baltimore, Maryland. In January 1949, she was arrested in San Francisco on narcotic charges. Ms. Holiday was later found not guilty of this drug charge by a jury of six men and six women. Billie Holiday died on July 17, 1959."

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KING JR. MARTIN LUTHER Part 1a Part 1b

CHARLES "SONNY" LISTON "Charles "Sonny" Liston was born on May 8, 1932, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Mr. Liston was a heavyweight boxing champion. He lost a major boxing match in Miami Beach, Florida on February 24, 1964, to Cassius Clay, Aka, Mohammad Ali. Sonny Liston learned how to box in 1950 while in the Missouri penitentiary."

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MALCOLM X (4065 PAGES) "Malcom X was the Minister of the Nation of Islam up to March 1964. He left the Nation of Islam and formed the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Malcom X was assassinated in 1965 while delivering a speech in New York City. Norman Butler, Thomas Johnson and Talmage Hayer were convicted of Malcom X's murder and all three were sentenced to life in prison. The FBI investigated Malcom X to verify communist influence."

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ROBERT "BOB" NESTA MARLEY "Robert Nesta Marley, also known as Bob Marley, was a Jamaican reggae musician, born February 6, 1945, in St. Ann, Jamaica. Marley was never the subject of an FBI investigation. In 1976, someone was making illegal copies of Marley's record "Bob Marley and the Wailers Live" in violation of Federal Copyright Law. The record was produced and distributed by "Island Records" of 154 West 57th Street, New York City. Marley died May 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida. "

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MARSHALL, THURGOOD (1394 PAGES) "Concerns Marshall's activities with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Background investigations were conducted in connection with his appointment as a Federal Judge and a Supreme Court Justice."

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CLAUDE MCKAY "Claude McKay's roots were in Jamaica and he was never a United States citizen. He spent some time in Russia in the early 1920's and was expected to return to the U.S. in 1923. McKay was an editor of the "Liberator". He wrote several articles for the "Negro World", advocating the extension of "bolshevism" in the United States as a means of obtaining freedom for the Negro."

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THELONIOUS MONK "Thelonious Sphere Monk was born on October 10, 1917, in North Carolina. He was a creator of jazz music and considered a master composer and a master musician. Monk traveled extensively giving concerts in America, Europe and the Orient. He died in 1982 at the age of 64. His funeral was held in St. Peter's Church in New York City. "

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Moorish Science Temple of America (3,117 PAGES) "The Moorish Science Temple of America was organized in 1913 in Newark, New Jersey. The Temple was investigated by the FBI in 1953 for violation of the Selective Service Act of 1948 and Sedition. In September of 1953, the Department of Justice, concluded that prosecution for violation of the Selective Service Act was not warranted. A 1940 investigation was conducted to determine if the Moorish Science Temple of America was committing subversive activities by adhering to and spreading of Japanese propaganda. The investigation failed to substantiate that members were pro-Japanese.

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JELLY ROLL MORTON "In the Bulletin newspaper, it mentions Jelly Roll Morton and his band, the "Red Hot Peppers." This is the only mention of Mr. Morton."

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MUHAMMAD, ELIJAH (28 PAGES) "This information consists of a 1973 FBI investigative report on Elijah Muhammad, who is also known as, Elijah Poole, former leader of the Nation of Islam."

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NATION OF ISLAM "The Nation of Islam is a group of Negroes' who support the unorthodox Muslim Cult of Islam (MCI). There is also an orthodox religion of Islam. This information consists of monographs that have been prepared and released to the public. The MCI is dedicated to the circulation of hatred against the white race. The Nation of Islam teaches from the Koran, and the profession of faith teaches "there is no one God but Allah," and "God is one in His Person, His Attributes and His Works." There are additional teachings, most of which follow the religious beliefs of other religions. In the ninth month of the year (different times of the year, because they follow the lunar calendar), Islamic Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca. This month is known as Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, most Islamic people are prohibited from eating or drinking from dawn until sunset. The only exceptions are small children, pregnant women and those working in the medical field. The principles of Islam are to pray five times a day (in Muslim countries, there are regular calls to prayer), believe in the bible, perform charity work, and study the Koran. The Fruit of Islam is the military section of the MCI."

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JESSE OWENS "Jesse Owens was born on September 12, 1913, in Danville, Alabama. Known as a track star, he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Owens worked with youth in several capacities; as a youth league organizer in New York City; a director for a recreation program in Chicago for the Illinois Youth Commission and worked with Youth Leagues in several cities. He also worked for Ford Motor Company and owned a dry-cleaning establishment in Chicago. He made a movie of his Olympic experience. In 1956, the FBI conducted a Special Inquiry background investigation on Owens. "

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LEROY "SATCHEL" PAIGE "Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was born on July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama. He was a Negro baseball player who pitched for the Cleveland Indians in the National League. Paige died on June 8, 1982. He was not the subject of an FBI investigation; however, he is mentioned in several FBI documents."

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RICHARD PRYOR apparently produced after he gave money to the Black Panther Party

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ROBESON, PAUL AND ESLANDA (2680 PAGES) "The FBI records reflect a Internal Security investigation during the 1940's until the 1960's. The famed African-American singer and his wife were affiliated with the Communist Party and Communist Party front groups."

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ROBINSON, JACKIE (131 PAGES) "Jackie Robinson made history as the first African-American to play baseball in the Major Leagues when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. Mr. Robinson was never the subject of an FBI investigation; however, his name came to the attention of the FBI as a result of his National Association for the Advancement of Colored People membership. In 1949, he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the hearings regarding Communist Infiltration of Minority Groups."

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CLARENCE 13X SMITH (80 PAGES) "Smith was the leader of the "Five Percenters," a notorious Harlem street gang. He was shot to death in 1969."

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ROY WILKINS (967 PAGES) "Roy Wilkins was an influential member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was a civil rights advocate who became affiliated with Martin Luther King, Jr. The FBI investigated alleged threats against Mr. Wilkins' life and proposed extortion plots."

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WRIGHT, RICHARD (169 PAGES) "This notable writer was investigated by the FBI for being a member of the Communist Party between 1932 and 1942. He departed the party in 1942 because of ideological disputes."

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