Drue Heinz was a patron of the arts, publisher of The Paris Review, and—for a brief stretch in 1950—an actress. Her FBI file, which mostly refers to her as Doreen Mary Maher, consists of a background check conducted in 1948, apparently in connection to employment with the Voice of America.
New York Times obit: Drue Heinz, a Philanthropist of Literature, Dies at 103
Fats Domino was a pianist, singer, and songwriter who made a name as one of the biggest stars of the early rock-and-roll era. His file consists of a 1965 inquiry into one of his Cadillacs, apparently spotted during an FBI stakeout of a Philadelphia hotel that Martin Luther King was believed to be staying at.
New York Times obit: Fats Domino, Early Rock ’n’ Roller With a Boogie-Woogie Piano, Is Dead at 89
Judge C. Weston Houck presided over a lawsuit brought by Shannon Faulkner against South Carolina's public military college, The Citadel. His ruling in that case ended the Citadel's 152-year-old male-only admissions policy. His FBI file primarily addresses an incident wherein a man upset by that case engaged in behavior that could have been construed as a threat.
New York Times obit: C. Weston Houck, Judge Who Ended Citadel’s Male-Only Policy, Dies at 84
Pat Summitt was a University of Tennessee coach who is credited for the rise in prominence of women's college basketball. Her FBI file documents a series of letters intended to threaten and possibly extort her, apparently written by an unhinged fan.
New York Times obit: Pat Summitt, Tennessee Basketball Coach Who Emboldened Women’s Sports, Dies at 64
Andrzej Wajda was a Polish film and theater director who worked during the height of the Cold War. His FBI file primarily addresses a trip to Los Angeles in 1976 (probably for the Academy Awards, where his The Promised Land was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film) in which one member of his group was a subject of FBI monitoring.
New York Times obit: Andrzej Wajda, Towering Auteur of Polish Cinema, Dies at 90
Harry Hongda Wu was an activist and naturalized American citizen who traveled to China repeatedly to document human rights abuses, including the sale of organs, in the prison system there. His file primarily consists of his documenting those abuses.
New York Times obit: Harry Wu, Who Told World of Abuses in China, Dies at 79
Robert Allen was the chief executive and chairman of AT&T for nearly a decade beginning in 1988—a transitional period for the U.S. telecommunications industry. His FBI file consists of background checks conducted during his AT&T leadership, as he was considered for various federal government jobs.
New York Times obit: Robert E. Allen, 81, Dies; Led an AT&T in Transition
Although he was a notable oil industry magnate and received widespread coverage when he married the Denver Post heiress 40 years his senior (after previously working as her chauffeur), Mike Davis was best known at the time of his death as the "World's Grumpiest Boss," after his 1970s-era office memos banning "levity" and even unsolicited greetings circulated online. His FBI file captures yet another facet of his life, documenting over some 200 pages a dramatic $50,000 Las Vegas extortion attempt of which he was the victim, and which involved Frank Sinatra and a number of famous casinos.
New York Times obit: Mike Davis, ‘World’s Grumpiest Boss,’ Dies at 85
Father Edward Daly was a Roman Catholic bishop from Northern Ireland who achieved prominence for his role at the forefront of the protest march on what became known as "Bloody Sunday." In 1972 he visited New York, where the FBI recorded plans to monitor him and describes an interview the Bureau conducted with him at the Roosevelt Hotel.
New York Times obit: Edward Daly, Peace-Seeking Bishop in Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles,’ Dies at 82
Warren J. Hinckle, III was a well-known columnist and provocateur best known as the editor of Ramparts magazine and a vocal (and at times gonzo) proponent of left politics. His FBI file pertains chiefly to an investigation into an advertisement placed in 1981 seeking to recruit volunteers for an American brigade of the IRA, and also contains excerpts of his writing on Cuba.
New York Times obit: Warren Hinckle, Ramparts Editor Who Embraced Gonzo Journalism, Dies at 77
Trinh Thi Ngo broadcast as "Hanoi Hannah" from North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her show aimed to damage the morale of American troops. Her short FBI file mentions her only in passing, in a report about a similar show that was believed to be recorded within the U.S.—the show hosts claimed to be in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles—and shipped to Vietnam for broadcast there.
New York Times obit: Trinh Thi Ngo, Broadcaster Called ‘Hanoi Hannah’ in Vietnam War, Dies
David Bunnell was one of the founding figures of the computer trade publication industry, involved in founding PC Magazine, Macworld and others. Before that, though, he was involved in New Left politics at the University of Nebraska, where as a student in 1968 he served as the president of the Students for a Democratic Society chapter. His FBI file tracks that group's activities during his tenure there.
New York Times obit: David Bunnell, a Founder of Tech Magazines PC World and Macworld, Dies at 69
