The Sinatra Files (19 page)

The summary furnished to OSI and G-2 did not include any reference to Lee Mortimer or to the information which Lee Mortimer allegedly used in his newspaper column, namely, that Sinatra was a Communist, which information was reported to have come from Bureau files.

RECOMMENDATION:

For your information.

    
Blocked from traveling overseas to entertain the troops, Sinatra applied for a passport a couple of months later, shortly before heading to Australia for a three-week tour. In applying for the passport, he gave the government certain assurances, according to this excerpt from a later FBI report on the matter
.

    On January 10, 1955 FRANK SINATRA executed the following affidavit for the Passport Division of the Department of State:

The FBI and others in the government suspected Sinatra was lying, prompting a full-fledged year-long investigation of the singer’s veracity, involving FBI offices across the country, and some very old accusations against Sinatra
.

SUBJECT: FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA
SECURITY MATTER—C
FRAUD AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT

    On 12-14-54 a name check request concerning Sinatra was received from the State Department in connection with a passport application. On 12-30-54 the Department of State was advised that the FBI had conducted no active investigation of Sinatra. Also the memorandum provided information received by the FBI concerning Sinatra which is in summary: Sinatra has allegedly been connected
with varying degrees such as sponsorship and/or membership with 13 Communist front groups or activities in Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York City. One informant alleged in 1945 that he had been told that Sinatra had recently been admitted to membership in the New York Branch of the Communist Party. This informant was described as confidential and reliable. Sinatra’s association with numerous gangsters and hoodlums including Lucky Luciano and Willie Moretti were set out. It was also noted that in 1948 Sinatra was scheduled to transcribe an anti-Communist broadcast for Italian consumption and that as of 1951 Sinatra was listed as a participant in an anti-Communist rally.

On 1-10-55 Sinatra executed a sworn affidavit for the Passport Division of the State Department at New York County, New York, stating that he was not then and had never been a member of the Communist Party, any so-called Communist front organizations or any other group or organization of a subversive character. As of 2-17-55 the Washington Field Office was advised in confidence that the Passport Division of State Department was sending two copies of the above affidavit to the Department “with request for investigation to determine whether criminal proceedings against subject for apparent violation of 18 USC 1542 warranted.” Section 1542 is “false statement in application and use of passport.” Los Angeles and New York were advised of this information. Sinatra is the well-known singer and motion picture actor.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the FBI conduct no investigation in this matter at this time. This is in accordance with established policy in passport fraud matters since the State Department directed their request to the Justice Department. We will, of course, act immediately on request from either Justice or State Departments.

    
Handwritten notation by Clyde Tolson at the bottom:
I suggest a complete summary be prepared on Sinatra. C.

Handwritten response by Hoover:
Yes. H.

The resulting summary, drafted a week later, included recent information indicating that Sinatra was anything but a Communist, according to this excerpt:

    The “Daily Worker” an east coast Communist newspaper, of April 10, 1951, contained an article captioned “Where Are the Big Stars Who Once Opposed the Un-Americans?” The article mentioned Frank Sinatra as one who had at one time made strong statements against the HCUA but was now silent.

The New York “Daily News” of April 27, 1951, reported that on the preceding day the Stop-Communism Committee was launched to fight against “Red influence in the entertainment world.” Sinatra was listed as participating in a rally sponsored by the Committee.

    
Nevertheless, a top Justice Department official asked the FBI to look into the passport matter
.

FROM: William F. Tompkins, Assistant Attorney General, Internal Security Division

SUBJECT: FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA a.k.a. Frank Sinatra SECURITY MATTER—C FRAUD AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT

Information has recently been received from the Department of State to the effect that the captioned subject in attempting to secure a passport filed with that Department an affidavit dated January 10, 1955 in which he stated that he had never been a member of the Communist Party or any Communist front organizations. This Division has also been advised that the Department of State received information from your Bureau which indicates that the subject has been affiliated with a number of Communist front organizations and that it has also been alleged that he was a member of the Communist Party.

Inasmuch as the statements contained in his affidavit, if false, would constitute a violation of Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1001 or 1542, it would be appreciated if you would conduct an appropriate investigation to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to warrant prosecution under the statutes.

For your information and assistance there is transmitted herewith a photostatic copy of the affidavit executed by the subject.

    
And Hoover in a March 18, 1955, memo authorized a major investigation, ordering agents in Los Angeles and seven other cities onto the case. Memos poured in from FBI offices across the country, as agents combed their files for “subversive” information about Sinatra and re-interviewed sources who previously had tied Sinatra to Communist party groups. They didn’t come up with much, as reflected in the samples below
.

    
From New York:

    The files of the New York Office contain the following subversive information on the above-captioned subject:

BEANIE (C. B. BALDWIN), Executive Vice Chairman of the National Citizens Political Action Committee, who very recently in Washington’s Willard Hotel conducted an intensive four-day course in practical politics under the sponsorship of the NCPAC, about the “September 2nd thing.” The “September 2nd thing”
was a big concert in the Hollywood Bowl on that date. It was expected to draw 23,000 people.
it would feature ROBINSON (perhaps EDWARD G. ROBINSON), GREGORY PECK and FRANK SINATRA.
RUBINSTEIN would do a concerto, PAUL ROBESON might sing, and the symphony orchestra would consist of 100 pieces.