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Ben H. Bagdikian
Ben Bagdikian was a journalist perhaps best known as the Washington Post reporter covering the Pentagon Papers. For a decade before that, J. Edgar Hoover held him in low regard, and his file largely consists of criticism from the Bureau.
New York Times obit: Ben H. Bagdikian, Reporter of Broad Range and Conscience, Dies at 96
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Sam Iacobellis
Sam Iacobellis is the engineer credited with developing the B-1 bomber, an American stealth long-range aircraft that affected the course of the Cold War. His short file contains a report of contact with an official—possibly one from the USSR—and an FBI decision not to interview him afterward.
New York Times obit: Sam Iacobellis, Whose B-1 Bomber Recast the Cold War, Dies at 87
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Norma McCorvey
Norma McCorvey was the plaintiff, under the pseudonym Jane Roe, of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case ruling state anti-abortion laws unconstitutional. Her FBI file is focused on a 1989 incident, days before she was to participate in an abortion rights rally, in which unknown suspects fired a shotgun at her home and car.
New York Times obit: Norma McCorvey, ‘Roe’ in Roe v. Wade, Is Dead at 69
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Madeleine Sherwood
Madeline Sherwood was an actress most notable for her role in the 1960s television series "The Flying Nun." She had previously been married to the playwright Robert Sherwood, whom the FBI believed to be involved with Communism. This file describes an effort to locate her, to interview her, and the decision not to approach her directly.
New York Times obit: Madeleine Sherwood, 93, Actress on ‘The Flying Nun,’ Stage and Screen, Dies
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Jack T. Chick
Fundamentalist Christian cartoonist Jack Chick wrote to J. Edgar Hoover in 1971 seeking the FBI's help with his bizarre religious comics. His file consists of that letter and Hoover's response declining to participate.
New York Times obit: Jack T. Chick, Religious Cartoonist, Dies at 92
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Walter Kohn
Nobel laureate Walter Kohn left Austria as a child refugee in 1940, coming to Canada and eventually to the United States to study and teach physics. His FBI file consists of an extensive background check for a Department of Energy job in the late 1980s.
New York Times obit: Walter Kohn, Who Won Nobel in Chemistry, Dies at 93
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Hedy Epstein
Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor who served as a translator in the Nuremberg trials before emigrating to the U.S., worked as an activist for various causes over a span of more than five decades. Her FBI file covers those five decades, and the overwhelming majority concerns housing discrimination cases she helped prepare in the 1970s.
New York Times obit: Hedy Epstein, Rights Activist and Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 91
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Daniel Aaron
Daniel Aaron was a literary critic and historian credited with pioneering the field of "American studies." His short FBI file is chiefly concerned with his contribution to a study on the role of Communism in the United States, announced in 1955.
New York Times obit: Daniel Aaron, Critic and Historian Who Pioneered American Studies, Dies at 103
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Joseph Medicine Crow
Joseph Medicine Crow was a widely renowned Native American historian and anthropologist and the last living person to have heard spoken testimony from people at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. His FBI file consists only of a single-page interview he gave to special agents about a friend, a Jeep accident, and an angry mob weilding two-by-fours.
New York Times obit: Joseph Medicine Crow, Tribal War Chief and Historian, Dies at 102
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Haskell Wexler
Haskell Wexler was the award-winning filmmaker known for "Medium Cool" (1969) and others. The FBI monitored him before and after his 1976 documentary "Underground," about the radical Weathermen, and attempted to subpoena his raw footage.
New York Times obit: Haskell Wexler, Oscar-Winning Cinematographer, Dies at 93
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King Bhumibol Aduljadej
Bhumibol Aduljadej was king of Thailand for 70 years. In 2000, Thai law enforcement requested the FBI’s help in locating a "disrespectful" online impersonator.
New York Times obit: King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Dies at 88; Reigned 70 Years
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Michael Mariotte
Michael Mariotte was a prominent anti-nuclear activist throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Before that, in 1973, he’d gotten the FBI’s attention as a member of the Youth International Party and a potential protestor at Richard Nixon’s inauguration.New York Times obit: Michael Mariotte, a Leading Antinuclear Activist, Dies at 63
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Morley Safer
Morley Safer was a Canadian journalist who came to prominence offering unvarnished coverage of the Vietnam War. After receiving a viewer complain that Safer’s reporting would be "destructive to morale," FBI prepared a report but declined to investigate further.New York Times obit: Morley Safer, Mainstay of ‘60 Minutes,’ Is Dead at 84
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Mark Lane
Mark Lane was a leading proponent of the theory that the assassination of John F. Kennedy was a conspiracy. His FBI file concerns travel in 1980 to Lebanon, but concedes that he "has been known to the Bureau since the early 1960s."
New York Times obit: Mark Lane, Who Asserted That Kennedy Was Killed in Conspiracy, Dies at 89
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Bill Campbell
Bill Campbell was an executive and advisor for large tech companies such as Apple and Google. His file consists primarily of an FBI interview conducted in 2007 about an options backdating scandal at Apple, where he served on the board.
New York Times obit: Bill Campbell, Coach of Silicon Valley Stars, Dies at 75
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William L. O’Neill
William O’Neill wrote a dozen books about history and radicalism through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. His participation in activism was monitored by the FBI — particularly his involvement in an Fair Play for Cuba event, where he served as master of ceremonies.
New York Times obit: William L. O’Neill, a Historian Who Wrote About Radicals, Dies at 80
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Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali served as the U.N. Secretary General in the post-Cold War era after decades as an Egyptian diplomat. His FBI file mostly dates to the beginning of that era, and remains heavily redacted.
New York Times obit: Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Former U.N. Secretary General, Dies at 93
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Concepcion Picciotto
New York Times obit: Concepcion Picciotto, Who Kept Vigil by White House for Three Decades, Dies
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Dr. Herbert L. Abrams
New York Times obit: Dr. Herbert L. Abrams, Who Worked Against Nuclear War, Dies at 95
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Lois Weisberg
New York Times obit: Lois Weisberg, Chicago’s Cultural Connector, Dies at 90
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Robert Stigwood
Robert Stigwood was an Australian entertainment producer and executive associated with the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease," and more. An FBI attaché in Australia, acting on a request from an undisclosed party, requested a criminal check on Stigwood in mid-1991.
New York Times obit: Robert Stigwood, Entrepreneur of Rock and Film, Is Dead at 81
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Michael G. Oxley
Mike Oxley served in the House of Representatives, famously lending his name to high-profile anti-fraud legislation following the Enron scandal. He previously served as an FBI officer, and his file contains details from that service, including a personal commendation from J. Edgar Hoover and a cash award for working with an informant.
New York Times obit: Michael G. Oxley, Co-Author of Anti-Fraud Legislation, Dies at 71
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Dale Bumpers
New York Times obit: Dale Bumpers, Liberal Stalwart of Arkansas Politics, Dies at 90
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Walter J. Leonard
Walter Leonard was the architect of Harvard's influential affirmative action plan. His FBI file includes background check records and employment history from a short stint working in a federal prison, including a claim that he was fired from that job in 1955 for orchestrating a push for integration.
New York Times obit: Walter J. Leonard, Pioneer of Affirmative Action in Harvard Admissions, Dies at 86
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John Trudell
New York Times obit: John Trudell, Outspoken Advocate for American Indians, Is Dead at 69
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Marcus Klingberg
New York Times obit: Marcus Klingberg, Highest-Ranking Soviet Spy Caught in Israel, Dies at 97
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Gene Norman
Gene Norman was a music producer and promoter credited with putting some of the century's most famous jazz musicians on a larger stage. The FBI monitored his Cold War-era travel to Poland, where a record he had produced had become so popular that a state entertainment agency extended him an invite.
New York Times obit: Gene Norman, Music Producer With an Ear for Jazz, Dies at 93
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Jacqueline Berrien
New York Times obit: Jacqueline Berrien, Head of E.E.O.C., Is Dead at 53
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Fred Thompson
New York Times obit: Fred Thompson, Former Senator, Actor and Presidential Candidate, Dies at 73
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Willis Carto
Willis Carto was a far-right activist and Holocaust denier whose work was denounced by groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. Matt Novak at Gizmodo has done an extensive write-up of the contents of Carto's FBI file.
New York Times obit: Willis Carto, Far-Right Figure and Holocaust Denier, Dies at 89
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Licio Gelli
Licio Gelli was a prominent Italian financier and self-professed fascist who was investigated as the head of a secret society (illegal in his native Italy) and later convicted for bank fraud and a host of other crimes.
New York Times obit: Licio Gelli, Italian Financier and Cabal Leader, Dies at 96
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E. Virgil Conway
Before Virgil Conway was the chairman of New York City MTA, he was a banker—first for the state, and then as chairman and chief executive of Seaman's Bank. At that time, he also served as an SAC Contact to the FBI; his file consists mostly of communications between him and agents in the Bureau and descriptions of events he and other official contacts attended.
New York Times obit: E. Virgil Conway, Former M.T.A. Chairman, Dies at 85
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Luther Burden
Luther "Ticky" Burden was a professional basketball player with the New York Knicks from 1976-77. In 1981, he was convicted of taking part in a bank robbery.
New York Times obit: Luther Burden, Former Knick Who Served Time for Bank Robbery, Dies at 62
