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
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
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
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
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
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
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
New York Times obit: Michael Mariotte, a Leading Antinuclear Activist, Dies at 63
New York Times obit: Morley Safer, Mainstay of ‘60 Minutes,’ Is Dead at 84
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
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
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
