Malcolm X (29 page)

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[BUREAU DELETION]

(IS) 25-330971

[BUREAU DELETION] had confirmed reports that Malcolm X Little, Minister of the Nation of Islam (NOI) Temple in New York City, and leading NOI spokesman, had been suspended from the NOI on December 4, 1963 by Elijah Muhammad for expressing joy over the death of President Kennedy.

Malcolm X Little, who spoke at a rally held by the NOI in New York City on December 1, 1963, stated that the late President Kennedy had been “twiddling his thumbs” at the slaying of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu. Little added that he “never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon.” He also stated, “Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost
never did make me sad; they always made me glad.” Elijah Muhammad, National Leader of the NOI, was scheduled to speak at this New York rally but canceled his appearance out of respect to the death of President Kennedy and instructed NOI members to make no comments concerning the assassination of the President.

The NOI is an all-Negro, anti-white, semi-religious organization which advocates complete separation of the races and teaches extreme hatred of all white men.

[BUREAU DELETION] made available the following information on the dates designated:

1/2/64

ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, MALCOLM LITTLE, [BUREAU DELETION] and another individual [BUREAU DELETION] were in a conversation at which time ELIJAH gave a long religious talk using many parables. ELIJAH told of the great power of Allah and how he has followed everything Allah has told him. He mentioned how Allah has let him know in advance of many things. ELIJAH told them that he is just a man as the rest of them with a message from Allah. He said the people make a great man such as he is now. He stated if he [
sic
]people understand his mission as well as the devils do everything would be all right. ELIJAH mentioned the President's assassination and MALCOLM's New York speech. He said he feels Allah when everything is right and he knows this is good. He talked about
Moses, Jesus and so forth. He mentioned about after he put MALCOLM down from public speaking how the devils had called hinting there was a split between ELIJAH and MALCOLM, and ELIJAH told them there was not. ELIJAH told how he helped MALCOLM in his statements to the press when MALCOLM first started speaking in Harlem. He said he had been hearing about MALCOLM this and MALCOLM that and even MALCOLM being called leader. ELIJAH said now this one and that one is getting jealous. He told MALCOLM that MALCOLM was ELIJAH's property to which MALCOLM agreed. He told MALCOLM he had made an error. MALCOLM stated he had asked permission in a letter before he said anything and he understood it was all right. ELIJAH said he could not understand why MALCOLM took this poison and poured it out and told them it was poison. He told MALCOLM that one cannot use fire to fight fire. He said all of the time MALCOLM had been referring to something else and ELIJAH thought he had a sly scheme or shrewd plan but not this time. ELIJAH stated we can't organize the man. He said if anyone had told him that MALCOLM was going to use things like that he would not have believed it. He told MALCOLM if he loved Allah then he must love ELIJAH as the messenger of Allah. MALCOLM stated he would rather be dead than to say anything against ELIJAH. MALCOLM said he didn't say anything to anyone about ELIJAH and had been using parables to speak. ELIJAH asked MALCOLM how could [BUREAU DELETION] have gotten the wrong impression from what MALCOLM had said. ELIJAH stated they all wrote to him and said the same thing. He told MALCOLM he could not walk through the woods with fire in his hands and not start a fire. He said one must carry a bucket of water and not fire.

ELIJAH stated he had to speak out on KENNEDY's death as the whole nation would have been against them. MALCOLM agreed. ELIJAH mentioned even some of the sympathetic devils were outraged at MALCOLM's statement.

ELIJAH asked MALCOLM why MALCOLM had been checking into ELIJAH's personal affairs [BUREAU DELETION], MALCOLM stated that he had not asked anything
about this but had heard it in Chicago. MALCOLM said he talked to [BUREAU DELETION] about it and he already knew it. MALCOLM said he noticed the people in Chicago were very cold to ELIJAH's family in Chicago on Savior's Day (apparently referring to February, 1963). MALCOLM said [BUREAU DELETION]asked him to eat with him that night and brought the matter up. [BUREAU DELETION] told him (MALCOLM) about it and he, MALCOLM, acted as if he knew nothing about it. MALCOLM said [BUREAU DELETION] had stated a lost-found sister in Boston had said the FBI had asked her about it, and told [BUREAU DELETION]. MALCOLM mentioned [BUREAU DELETION] told him, the person she planned on marrying, about this. This brother told [BUREAU DELETION] who called and told [BUREAU DELETION] in New York. MALCOLM stated he called and told [BUREAU DELETION] back (apparently in Boston) and told him he had put pressure on the sister and made her say these things which she did not mean. MALCOLM said he told [BUREAU DELETION] to drop it and that he, MALCOLM, never discussed it with anyone else. ELIJAH told MALCOLM he could not prove any of this. MALCOLM said he thought ELIJAH had tried to tell MALCOLM of this one time in Phoenix. MALCOLM mentioned ELIJAH asked him what he, MALCOLM, thought of [BUREAU DELETION] and that MALCOLM changed the subject because he was afraid to hear it. MALCOLM said he told [BUREAU DELETION] he thought it would be a good idea to tell some of their trusted people so they would be in a receptive spirit if they heard of it from any of the people and could handle the matter. MALCOLM told [BUREAU DELETION] he was going to write ELIJAH and tell what [BUREAU DELETION] reaction would be and he hoped ELIJAH would allow MALCOLM to tell others who would understand it too. ELIJAH spoke about how some people have said that he and [BUREAU DELETION] are separated but that they are not. ELIJAH said he cannot stay in Chicago because of the pressure on him all of the time and because of the weather. He said one of them must stay there all of the time so she stays there in Chicago and ELIJAH lives in Phoenix because of the good weather.

SECTION 10

January 29, 1964–April 15, 1964

Section 10
outlines Malcolm's 1964 activities until his trip to Africa in April. Early in 1964, the division between Malcolm and Elijah continued to widen. In January, Malcolm spent some time in Florida with Cassius Clay, as Clay prepared to meet Sonny Liston for the heavyweight boxing championship. Although he had been silenced, Malcolm still served as spiritual advisor to the victorious Clay, who soon changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Malcolm also valued his friendship during the difficult period of his suspension, as he reflects in his autobiography.

On March 8, Malcolm declared his break with the NOI and his desire to form his own “politically oriented black nationalist party.” The FBI had already received information that he was planning to leave the NOI, predicated on an informant's belief that Malcolm might oppose the NOI leadership of Elijah Muhammad with Clay's support.

Ali remained loyal to Elijah Muhammad, who harshly criticized Malcolm's creation of the Muslim Mosque, Inc. (MMI). Elijah Muhammad predicted that Malcolm “would not be successful and he will come running back and ask to be forgiven.” The report notes that the NOI soon began eviction procedures to reclaim Malcolm's house in East Elmhurst, Queens, and Elijah warned Malcolm to stop interfering with NOI affairs. Amidst the mounting activity, tension, and threats, Malcolm journeyed to Africa and Asia, where he made his pilgrimage to Mecca. In his autobiography, Malcolm reported:

For the information of Miami, local NYC newspapers have recently carried stories which indicate that subject has spent a week in Miami, Florida, vacationing with his wife BETTY, and their three young daughters. According to the articles, subject
and his family were the guests of heavyweight contender CASSIUS CLAY while in Miami.