Malcolm X

by Clayborne Carson

WALLACE:

  That was the story, that is the story that the headlines failed to tell. . . .

  WALLACE:

  Let us take a closer look at this man—a closer look at this man called brilliant by Congressman ADAM POWELL. This man, MALCOLM X, who preached a vesper service in ADAM POWELL church. There he is with the glasses.

  MALCOLM X, by his own admission to “News Beat,” is a former dope peddler and procurer, an ex-convict who served time for theft in Michigan and Massachusetts prisons. He is a changed man now, he says, because ELIJAH MUHAMMAD’s personal brand of Islam taught him no longer to be ashamed of being a black man. So it becomes evident that the responsible leaders of the Negro community are fully aware of the activities and teachings of the black supremacists.

  But what about the NAACP? This organization is dedicated to the elimination of all racism, black and white. What does it know about the drive for black supremacy? Reporter LOMAX asked NAACP Executive Secretary ROY WIL-KINS what is the attitude of his organization toward the black supremacists and this is what ROY WILKINS said:

  LOMAX:

  Mr. WILKINS, you said that you are not aware of any of these street corner meetings and what they have been saying.

  WILKINS:

  Oh, I’m aware of the meetings, but all I said was that I haven’t stood around on street corners and listened to any speeches.

  LOMAX:

  Has the NAACP ever taken any kind of action against these people or have you ever raised the question of whether they should be on the street corner or whether they should be allowed to say these kinds of things?

  WILKINS:

  Oh no. We believe in free speech. If they want to speak on street corners that is up to them.

  LOMAX:

  Let me move on to something else. Several Negro newspapers, specifically the Pittsburgh Courier and the Los Angeles Herald Dispatch, carry a column written by one Mr. ELIJAH MUHAMMAD in which he advances the thesis that white men are devils and snakes.

  WILKINS:

  Certainly.

  LOMAX:

  And that they are the evil doers that are synonymous with evil and should be destroyed. Are you aware of this column and the Muslim movement in general which Mr. MUHAMMAD heads?

  WILKINS:

  I do not read the Los Angeles Herald Dispatch at all and I must say that in reading the Pittsburgh Courier I have never read a column by Mr. who?

  LOMAX:

  ELIJAH MUHAMMAD.

  WILKINS:

  ELIJAH MUHAMMAD? No, no.

  LOMAX:

  You have never seen his column?

  WILKINS:

  I have seen the name, but I have never been induced to read it.

  WALLACE:

  We found it incredible that ROY WILKINS was unaware of the existence of ELIJAH MUHAMMAD. Every other responsible Negro leader in the city knows about the Muslims, about ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, and about Minister MALCOLM X, who is the New York leader of the Muslims, the heir apparent to ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, the man who ADAM CLAYTON POWELL called “brilliant.”

  Then our research staff unearthed these picture.

  Here you see ROY WILKINS conversing with MALCOLM X. That is ROY WILKINS in profile and MALCOLM X just behind him to his right. And here you see the two men shaking hands. Now maybe Mr. WILKINS does not know ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, maybe he does not know that the Muslims have parochial schools where they teach the youngsters that the white man is evil by nature and must be destroyed; maybe Mr. WILKINS does not know that there are about two hundred fifty thousand of these people in the United States; maybe he does not know that the members of the black nationalist movement have taken to street corners in New York to preach hatred of the white man; to call ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, for instance, the “African white goddess.” Maybe he does not know all these things, but I think he should. As leader of the NAACP, he not only should know these things, but he and his colleagues should begin to do something about it. The truth is that Negro leaders do know about these hate merchants. They have been aware of the Muslims and of the black nationalists for some years now; they have tried in effect to ignore them, to sweep them under the rug.

  We call this series “The Hate That Hate Produced” because it is our conviction that the hate that we have been learning about is the hatred that a minority of Negroes are returning for the hate the majority of Negroes have received.

  Senator HUBERT HUMPHREY told the NAACP fiftieth-anniversary convention today that the Negro people are to be congratulated for returning love for hate, but here we are seeing tragic evidence, frightening evidence, that some Negroes are returning hate for hate. The white community must accept a good deal of the blame for the indignities the Negroes have suffered. The white community must admit its share of the blame and take corrective action. But the Negro community is not blameless. They and all of their responsible leaders must move quickly to root out the hatemongers in their midst.

  SECTION 5

  November 17, 1959–March 3, 1960

  REPORTS:

  1. November 17, 1959. New York

  2. March 3, 1960. Text of “Pro and Con” (report not available)

  3. May 17, 1960. New York

  The November 17 report summarizes Malcolm’s July 1959 trip to the Middle East and Africa as Elijah Muhammad’s ambassador. The report begins with a Los Angeles Herald Dispatch article from April 1959 in which Malcolm called for a Bandung Conference of Negro leaders and branded “the entire white race as ‘devils’ and as a common enemy of all dark mankind.” The report continues with excerpts from Malcolm’s speeches from 1959 in which he takes a much less violent and aggressive stance than in previous years. The change appears to be confined to strategy and tactics and does not show a transformation of ideology. For example, on April 24 in New York City, Malcolm reportedly stated, “We must not teach hatred of the white man when introducing Islam to friends and relations. ... In the future we will emphasize unity of the black man for economic, financial and moral betterment.”

  His trip abroad is detailed, with the report stating that he did not go to Mecca because he became ill. A letter from Malcolm, written while in Khartoum and published in the Amsterdam News on Aug. 22, 1959, insisted that Africans judge the sincerity of America’s offers of assistance by U.S. treatment of its own blacks. Changes in Malcolm’s strategy are even more evident after his July trip. On August 25, he reportedly instructed each NOI member in New York to “conduct himself as a true Muslim. They should talk to no one on the outside and should be courteous to everyone.”

  The next report contains statements Malcolm made during an interview with William Kunstler on the radio program “Pro and Con.” Malcolm defends the NOI against attacks from white liberals and “Negro leaders.”

  Excerpted from the May 17 report are an informant’s notes from a New York speech of March 23, 1960, at which Malcolm spoke approvingly of blacks misleading the white man into believing that they love him.

  UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

  Report of: SA [BUREAU DELETION] b7C

  Date: 11/17/59

  Office: New York

  File Number: New York 105-8999

  Bureau: 100-399321

  Title: MALCOLM K. LITTLE

  Character: INTERNAL SECURITY - NOI

  Synopsis:

  MALCOLM LITTLE is the Minister of NOI temple No. 7, NYC, and resides at 25-46 99th St. East Elmhurst, Queens, NYC. He travels extensively throughout the U.S. visiting and speaking at various NOI temples. He is considered one of the national leaders of the NOI. In July, 1959, LITTLE took a trip to the Middle East and Africa as ELIJAH MUHAMMAD’s ambassador. Portions of speeches by subject indicating teachings and doctrine of NOI set forth.

  NOI ACTIVITY AND STATEMENTS MADE BY SUBJECT

  The Los Angeles Herald Dispatch of April 23, 1959, carried an article captioned “MALCOLM X calls for Bandung Conference of Negro Leaders.” This article referred to the above celebration on April 15, 1959, and related that
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  Mr. X had been preceded by many prominent speakers, including Manhattan Borough President HULAN JACK, and His Excellency CHARLES T. O. KING, ambassador of Liberia to the United Nations, State Senator JAMES WATSON, historian J. A. ROGERS, JOHN YOUNG III, and hosts of others.

  Many of the celebrities ducked for cover as the popular, outspoken Moslem leader, pointing his finger into the CBS television cameras, branded the entire white race as “devils” and as a common enemy of all dark mankind. The biggest surprise came from the crowd, enthusiastically stomping and roaring its approval, with such thunderous applause that several times during his speech Mr. X had to hold up his hands and beg them to allow him to continue.

  He pointed out that if the people in Africa are getting their freedom, then 20 million blacks here in America, instead of shouting hallelujah over what is happening 9,000 miles from America, “should study the methods used by our darker brothers in Africa and Asia to get their freedom.”

  “It has been since the Bandung Conference that all dark people of the earth have been striding toward freedom,” stated MALCOLM X, “but there are 20 million blacks here in America yet suffering the worst form of enslavement . . . mental bondage, mentally blinded by the white man, unable now to see that America is the citadel of white colonialism, the bulwark of white imperialism ... the slavemaster of slavemasters.”

  Mr. X explained that the first step at Bandung was to agree that all dark people were suffering a common misery at the hands of a common enemy. “Call him Belgian, call him Frenchman, call him Englishman, colonialist, imperialist, or European . . . but they have one thing in common: ALL ARE WHITE MEN! Only after agreeing who the common enemy is could our darker Brothers unite against him and make faster strides toward freedom.

  “At Bandung they had to agree that as long as they remained divided a handful of whites would continue to rule them. But once our African Asian Brothers put their religious and political differences into the background, their unity has since been sufficient force to break the bonds of colonialism, imperialism, Europeanism . . . which are all only diplomatic terms for the same thing, WHITE SUPREMACY.

  “Twenty million blacks in America are also kept divided and ruled by the same white man. Harlem has the largest concentration of blacks on earth, but Harlem is torn with so many divisions that the African Nationalist Leader is brought to America by our own white slavemaster . . . and because of our disunity the largest concentration of blacks on earth is bypassed by this African leader.

  “If these Harlem ‘leaders’ are sincere, then let us put aside all petty differences of religion and politics, and hold a Bandung Conference in Harlem. We must come together and hear each other before we can agree. We must agree before we can unite. We must unite before we can effectively face our enemy . . . and the enemy must first be recognized by all of us as a common enemy to all of us before we can put forth a united effort against him for the welfare of all our downtrodden people.”

  Portions of Mr. X’s speech, shown on the CBS ROBERT TROUT News Saturday, have caused great comment among Negroes.

  [BUREAU DELETION] at a NOI meeting held April 24, 1959 [in New York City], MALCOLM X spoke as follows:

  We must not teach hatred of the white man when introducing Islam to friends and relations. More people would embrace Islam if the white man was not talked against. In the future we will emphasize unity of the black man for economic, financial and moral betterment.

  [BUREAU DELETION] a question was asked if a Jew is a member of the white race and is he among the devils. [BUREAU DELETION] MALCOLM answered as follows:

  He is one of the worst of the devils. He does more to take advantage of the so-called black people than any other and yet poses as being a friend to the black people. He owns businesses in the black belts of major cities, pays low wages, and charges high prices. . . .

  The subject’s attendance at this meeting was verified on April 27, 1959. [BUREAU DELETION]

  [BUREAU DELETION] at a NOI meeting held in New York on May 3, 1959, MALCOLM X spoke as follows:

  Islam does not teach hate. The black man in Islam has so much love in his heart for other black men that there is no room for love of the white man. . . . Laws are made for the colored man. We should believe in the law “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” If one black man is lynched another white man (adult or baby) should be killed even if in another state. If this were done the laws would be enforced tomorrow.

  [BUREAU DELETION] on August 24, 1959, the FOI and MGT of Temple No. 7 held a joint meeting at which Minister MALCOLM spoke [in part] as follows:

  Stool pigeons are only misguided brothers. It is nothing new that the FBI would want to know about the Muslims because they know everything, so they hire these stool pigeons to start trouble among the brothers and sisters. The stool pigeons should tell them that Mr. MUHAMMAD is teaching the truth and that they will not accept any more money.

  [BUREAU DELETION] that at a NOI meeting held August 25, 1959, in New York, Minister MALCOLM spoke and advised that in view of all the adverse popularity of Muslims today, everyone should conduct himself as a true Muslim. They should talk to no one on the outside and should be courteous to everyone. They should not get into arguments with anyone and should be submissive as the worst is yet to come.

  [BUREAU DELETION] that at a NOI meeting held in New York, September 9, 1959, Minister MALCOLM read a copy of a letter that was sent to the New York City Police Commissioner by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Minister MALCOLM stated that such a letter should have been made public by the Commissioner but this one had been kept quiet for a reason. Minister MALCOLM said that the KKK said that they have Negro pimps in our temple to make disturbances and to cause misunderstanding among our followers. He said that many times the FBI would hire stool pigeons and then turn right around and tell “us” who the stool pigeons are. [BUREAU DELETION] Minister MALCOLM stated that the Messenger has been teaching his followers to be law abiding, upright, respectable and to have love for their brothers.

  The KKK has been designated by the Attorney General of the UNITED STATES pursuant to Executive Order 10450.

  [BUREAU DELETION] at a NOI meeting of Temple No. 25, Newark, on September 16, 1959, MALCOLM LITTLE from New York was present. [BUREAU DELETION] MALCOLM showed movies of his recent trip abroad and at the same time narrated the movies. MALCOLM told the audience in his narration that this is what we have to go home to. If the devil doesn’t want to give us some land here then we can go back home.

  MISCELLANEOUS NOI ACTIVITY

  Trip Abroad

  On July 27, 1959, the file of MALCOLM LITTLE at the Passport Office, Department of State, was reviewed and disclosed the following information:

  Passport number 1595569 was issued to MALCOLM LITTLE, known as Malik El-Shabazz, on May 27, 1959. This passport was marked “not valid” for travel in the following areas under control of authorities with which the United States does not have diplomatic relations: Albania, Hungary and those portions of China, Korea and Viet-Nam under communist control.

  Regarding his travel plans, LITTLE stated that he intended to depart from the United States at the Port of New York City on June 5, 1959, via air transportation, for a proposed length of stay abroad of two weeks in order to visit the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Greece, United Arab Republic, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Lebanon, Turkey, and “others” for the purpose of attending the annual sacred Moslem Pilgrimage Rites at the Holy City of Mecca (Saudi Arabia) being held from June 9, 1959, to June 16, 1959.

  LITTLE answered “no” to questions in the application asking: “Are you now a member of the Communist Party?” and “Have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”

  The Communist Party, United States of America, has been designated by the Attorney General of the United States pursuant to Executive Order 10450.

  [BUREAU DELETION] at the July 5, 1959, NOI meeting in New York, it was announced that Minister MALCOLM left by plane Friday for Holland. From there he would go to Egypt, Mecca,
Iran, Syria and Ghana. He was going as ELIJAH MUHAMMAD‘s ambassador to “feel out” the land before ELIJAH MUHAMMAD goes.

  An article appeared in the New York Amsterdam News, a weekly newspaper published in New York, of July 11, 1959, page 18, column 3, entitled “Malcolm X Off to Tour Middle East.” This article is as follows:

  Messenger ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, internationally recognized spiritual head of the fastest growing group of Moslems in the Western Hemisphere, sent his New York Minister, MALCOLM X, also known as Malik EI-Shabazz, to the Middle East last Friday from International Airport.

  While abroad, MALCOLM X plans to tour several African-Asian countries, including the Holy City Mecca and Medina in Arabia, and also Jerusalem.

  The Moslem Minister plans to return to New York in time for the visit of Messenger ELIJAH MUHAMMAD in New York at St. Nicholas Arena on Sunday, July 26.

  [BUREAU DELETION] ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, national leader of the NOI, appeared at the St. Nicholas Arena, New York City on July 26, 1959.

  [BUREAU DELETION] prior to the speech by ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, Minister MALCOLM X of the NOI Temple No. 7, New York City, spoke. Among his other remarks, MALCOLM X told of his recent trip to the Far [sic] East.

  MALCOLM X stated that he had just returned from the Far [sic] East. He stated he did not speak with Nasser but saw him. He stated that he was well accepted by Muslims and that the Muslims in Egypt and Africa are blacker than he. He stated he was well entertained and squired around due to the fact that he was a Muslim. He stated he was taken on a cruise in a boat in forbidden territory. [BUREAU DELETION] he did not furnish more details concerning this.