Hugh O'Brian was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Wyatt Earp during the height of the popularity of Western TV shows. His fame led to an invitation from Nobel Prize winning Dr. Albert Schweitzer to a hospital in Gabon, which inspired O'Brian to start a non-profit foundation for youth leadership. His FBI file consists of correspondence between the Bureau and his foundation, which invited multiple FBI directors to speak at events.
New York Times obit: Hugh O’Brian Dies; Dashing TV Star of ‘Wyatt Earp’ Was 91
Elaine Lustig Cohen was a painter and graphic designer responsible for the signage on the Seagram's Building, among many other clients. In the late 1960s, the FBI maintained a short file on her—including monitoring her international travel—and her husband, Arthur A. Cohen. The file includes some sensitive personal details about their marriage.
New York Times obit: Elaine Lustig Cohen, Designer Who Left Her Mark Everywhere, Dies at 89
Nina Ponomoreva was an Olympic discus thrower from the Soviet Union. In 1956 she was involved in a minor diplomatic crisis, when she was accused (and found guilty) of shoplifting hats in the United Kingdom. Her short FBI file consists of newspaper reports of that incident and its fallout.
New York Times obit: Nina Ponomareva, Soviet Olympian Who Set Off a Diplomatic Crisis, Dies at 87
Sammy Lee was the first Asian-American man to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States. He subsequently worked as a doctor and coach, and was honored by six U.S. presidents. In 1990, he was appointed to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport, and his FBI file mostly pertains to the background check required for that position.
New York Times obit: Sammy Lee, First Asian-American Man to Earn Olympic Gold, Dies at 96
Ahmed Zewail was a chemist and Nobel Prize winner who worked in the Obama White House as a science adviser. His file consists of background checks conducted for that position, conducted between 2008 and 2012.
New York Times obit: Ahmed H. Zewail, Nobel-Prize-Winning Chemist, Dies at 70
Coca Crystal was a counterculture activist and TV personality associated with New York City. Her file covers meetings she planned, attended, or led in the early 1970s, including one to protest Nixon's inauguration.
New York Times obit: Coca Crystal, Avatar of Counterculture and Provocateur, Dies at 68
Gus Savage worked as a civil rights activist and spokesman for the Progressive Party before he was elected to Congress to represent the South Side of Chicago. His lengthy FBI file covers that earlier activism, an (unsuccessful) loyalty check during an application for a federal government job, and investigations into threats against him during his time in office.
New York Times obit: Gus Savage, Ex-Lawmaker, Dies at 90
Years before Robert Foster Bennett served as Senator from Utah, he ran a public relations company that counted Howard Hughes as a client and once employed Watergate burglar E. Howard Hunt. His FBI file pertains to a $50,000 political donation from Hughes to the Nixon re-election effort — a payment that Bennett coordinated with Gordon Liddy.
New York Times obit: Robert Bennett, Former Senator from Utah, Dies at 82
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
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
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
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
