Malcolm X (59 page)

Malcolm K. Little, better known as Malcolm X, a black militant leader, was born 5/19/25. He was killed in New York City (NYC) 2/21/65.

Because many of today's black revolutionaries regard Malcolm X as a hero and a martyr, the possibility exists that the anniversary of his birthday may be marked by them with acts of violence. As an example, last year two NYC police officers were
seriously wounded in a machine gun attack by black assailants the night of 5/19. Anonymous letters claiming credit for the attack linked the shooting to “Malcolm's Birthday.”

Bring this to the attention of all Agents handling black extremist matters so that they may be alert for any information concerning possible violence in connection with Malcolm X's birthday. Instruct black extremist informants to be particularly alert to obtain and report such information.

If any such information developed, promptly advise Bureau under appropriate caption and handle in accordance with existing instructions.

2—All Offices

HEH:aso (124)

NOTE:
See memorandum [BUREAU DELETION] to Mr. E. S. Miller, dated 4/18/72, captioned as above, prepared by HEH;aso.

NR 10 SD CODE

1100PM N1TEL 5-15-72 LLC

TO BUREAU (ATTENTION D I D)

FROM SAN DIEGO (157-3191) (P) 4P

BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY—MALCOLM X, MAY NINETEEN NEXT, EXTREMIST MATTERS.

TWO SAN DIEGO SOURCES ADVISED SUBSTANTIALLY AS FOLLOWS ON MAY TWELVE LAST:

THE BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY OF THE LATE MALCOLM X, EARLY LEADER IN THE BLACK NATIONIST MOVEMENT, WILL BE OBSERVED WITH FESTIVITIES MAY NINETEEN AND TWENTY NEXT AT SOUTH-CREST PARK, FORTIETH AND KEELER STREETS, AND AT RUSS AUDITORIUM AT SAN DIEGO HIGH SCHOOL, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

FESTIVITIES AT SOUTHCREST PARK WILL START ELEVEN THIRTY AM MAY NINETEEN AND WILL FEATURE SONGS, DANCES AND POETRY READING, AS WELL AS TALKS BY COMMUNITY LEADERS. LAST YEAR'S MALCOLM X CELEBRATION AT THE PARK WAS ATTENDED BY AN ESTIMATED FIVE THOUSAND PERSONS.

AMONG THOSE SCHEDULE TO ATTEND AND ENTERTAIN THE GUESTS WILL BE LE ROI JONES, REFERRED TO AS IMAMU BARAKA, POET AND BLACK POLITICAL ACTIVIST; CAIPHUS SEMANYAN, LEADER OF A MUSICAL GROUP CALLED THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA; LETTA MBULU, AN ENTERTAINER FROM AFRICA; DAVID NELSON OF THE LAST POETS, A POETRY READING GROUP, AND RUPERT CROSSE AND TATANISHA, STARS OF THE TELEVISION PROGRAM “ROOM TWO TWENTY TWO.”

HIGHLIGHT OF THE CELEBRATION WILL BE THE FIFTH ANNUAL MISS AFROAMERICA SAN DIEGO PAGEANT AT EIGHT PM MAY TWENTY NEXT AT RUSS AUDITORIUM. THE THEME OF THE PAGEANT IS “BLACK WOMEN DASH AFRICAN ESSENCE REBORN.” MASTER OF CEREMONIES DURING THE PAGEANT WILL BE BLACK ACTOR RICHARD ROUNDTREE CURRENTLY STARRING IN A MOTION PICTURE TITLED “SHAFT.”

THE TWO DAY CELEBRATION IS BEING SPONSORED BY THE CONGRESS OF AFRICAN PEOPLE (CAP), THE NATIONAL INVOLVEMENT ASSOCIATION (NIA), THE BLACK STUDENT UNIONS (BSU) IN VARIOUS LOCAL SAN DIEGO COLLEGES AND HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUSES, AND OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.

CAP'S BASIC GOAL IS THE GLOBAL EXPRESSION OF BLACK NATIONALISM.

NIA IS A LOCAL SAN DIEGO BLACK ORGANIZATION SELF DESCRIBED AS A MOVEMENT FOR REVOLUTIONARY BLACK NATIONALISM AND IS DIRECTLY AFFILIATED WITH CAP.

THE BSU IS A STUDENT DASH BASED BLACK MILITANT ORGANIZATION.

VERNON JOHN FONTENETTE, JR., REFERRED TO AS IMAMU SUKUMU, WESTERN REGIONAL COORDINATOR FOR CAP, WILL BE THE OFFICIAL HOST OF THE EVENT.

Re Bureau letter to Albany, 4/19/72.

During May, 1972, Seattle sources and informants familiar with black extremist activity were contacted and advised they did not have any information relating to any possible violence in connection with MALCOLM X's birthday.

NR 054 NY CODE

1219 AM 5-19-72

URGENT 5-18-72 PAC

TO ACTING DIRECTOR

ATT DID

FROM NEW YORK 157-7584 3P

BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY—MALCOLM X

MAY NINETEEN, NEXT

EXTREMIST MATTERS

RE NEW YORK LETTER TO BUREAU, MAY NINE, INSTANT.

ON MAY EIGHTEEN, INSTANT, A CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE, WHO HAS FURNISHED RELIABLE INFORMATION IN PAST, ADVISED FOLLOWING DEMONSTRATIONS AND ASSEMBLIES ARE TO TAKE PLACE ON MAY NINETEEN, NEXT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY OF MALCOLM X:

ELEVEN O'CLOCK AM—PILGRIMAGE TO FERN-CLIFF CEMETERY HARTSDALE, WESTCHESTER, NEW YORK, BURIAL SITE OF MALCOLM X, AND SPONSORED BY ORGANIZATION OF AFRO-AMERICAN UNITY (OAAU), TWO TWO FOUR WEST ONE THIRTY NINTH STREET, NYC.

TWELVE TO SEVEN O'CLOCK PM—MALCOLM X MEMORIAL ASSEMBLY AT FULTON STREET BETWEEN LEWIS AND SCHENECTADY AVENUE, BROOKLYN. UN-SPONSORED.

TWO O'CLOCK PM—BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT SEVENTH AVENUE AND ONE HUNDRED TWENTY FIFTH STREET, KNOWN IN BLACK COMMUNITY AS MALCOLM X SQUARE, WITH NO SPECIFIC SPONSOR INDICATED.

THREE O'CLOCK PM—DEMONSTRATION AT UNITED NATIONS BUILDING, FORTY SECOND STREET AND FIRST AVENUE, NYC, SPONSORED BY SEVERAL BLACK ORGANIZATIONS FOR PURPOSE OF DISCUSSING PLIGHT OF UNITED STATES POLITICAL PRISONERS ALSO TRIBUTES MAY BE GIVEN TO MALCOLM X.

ABOVE CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE ADVISED NO ACTS OF VIOLENCE TO HIS KNOWLEDGE ARE BEING PLANNED, AND ABOVE ASSEMBLIES ARE TO BE MEMORIAL TRIBUTES. NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES WERE RECONTACTED REGARDING ABOVE
AND NONE WERE ABLE TO FURNISH ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

NR 008 WF PLAIN

455 PM NITEL 5-28-72 MWM

ALL SOURCES MENTIONED HEREIN HAVE FURNISHED RELIABLE INFORMATION IN THE PAST.

MALCOLM X (LITTLE) WAS A MILITANT CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO WAS ASSASSINATED IN FEBRUARY NINETEEN SIXTY FIVE IN NEW YORK CITY.

THE UNITED STATES PARK POLICE, WASHINGTON, D.C., ADVISED ON MAY TWELVE, SEVENTY TWO THAT A DEMONSTRATION WAS SCHEDULED TO BE HELD IN MERIDIAN HILL PARK, SIXTEENTH AND EUCLID STREETS, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C., ON MAY NINETEEN SEVENTY TWO TO COMMEMORATE MALCOLM X (MX). AN ESTIMATED THREE HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS WERE ANTICIPATED.

ON MAY SIXTEEN, SEVENTY TWO SOURCE ONE ADVISED A FLIER HAD BEEN PREPARED FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION ANNOUNCING A BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN HONOR OF MX ON MAY NINETEEN, SEVENTY TWO AT MX PARK, SIXTEENTH AND EUCLID STREETS, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C., FROM SIX O'CLOCK
A.M
. TO NINE O'CLOCK
P.M.
INCLUDING A SUNRISE SERVICE, AFRICAN DANCING AND DRUMMING,
AND ARTS AND CRAFTS EXHIBITS. ATTACHED TO THE FLIER WAS A POSITION PAPER OF THE MX MEMORIAL COMMITTEE WHICH EXTOLS THE VIRTUES OF MX, STRESSES THE UNITY OF BLACK PEOPLE EVERYWHERE AND URGING BLACK PEOPLE TO BECOME TOTALLY INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE FOR BLACK SURVIVAL.

SOURCE TWO ADVISED THAT ON FRIDAY MORNING, MAY NINETEEN, SEVENTY TWO, AT APPROXIMATELY SIX THIRTY
A.M.,
NINE MALE NEGRO INDIVIDUALS DRESSED IN DASHIKIS AND AFRICAN-TYPE GARB WERE OBSERVED AT THE SPEAKER'S STAND IN MERIDIAN HILL PARK (MX PARK). THEY STOOD ABOUT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME, SOME WITH HEADS BOWED, AND DEPARTED FROM THE PARK. BETWEEN SIX THIRTY
A.M
. AND SEVEN FORTY
A.M.
ON THAT DATE, NO OTHER ACTIVITY IN THE PARK WAS NOTED. BETWEEN THE HOURS OF FOUR O'CLOCK
P.M
. AND SIX O'CLOCK
P.M
. ON MAY NINETEEN, SEVENTY TWO, MUSIC AND BONGO DRUMMING ENTERTAINMENT WAS FURNISHED AND ABOUT SEVEN TABLES HAD BEEN SET UP IN THE PARK DISPLAYING AFRICAN TRINKETS, SOUVENIRS, AFRICAN ART AND CRAFTWORK. APPROXIMATELY TWO HUNDRED PERSONS, ADULTS AND CHILDREN, WERE MOVING ABOUT IN THE PARK. THERE WERE NO SPEECHES DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME AND NO INCIDENTS WERE OBSERVED. A HEAVY RAIN BEGAN FALLING SHORTLY AFTER FIVE THIRTY
P.M.
THE EXHIBITS WERE TAKEN UP AND THE CROWD BEGAN TO DISPERSE.

SOURCE THREE ADVISED THAT A LOCAL RADIO STATION HAD ANNOUNCED ON LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MAY NINETEEN, SEVENTY TWO, THAT THE EVENING ACTIVITY AT MX PARK HAD BEEN CANCELED BECAUSE OF RAIN.

[BUREAU DELETION]

IN VIEW OF ABSENCE OF EXTREMIST ACTIVITY, NO DISSEMINATION BEING MADE LOCALLY. CASE CLOSED, NO LHM BEING SUBMITTED. C.

END

NR 003 CI CODE

157AM NITEL 5/20/72 DAH

TO ACTING DIRECTOR

FROM CINCINNATI (157-403) C 2P

RALLY AND MARCH IN HONOR OF MALCOLM X,