FBI Files: Historical Figures & Groups

Background Welcome to the FBI Files on Historical Figures & Groups archive at The Black Vault. This comprehensive collection provides a unique lens into the lives and activities of various prominent individuals and groups that have played significant roles in shaping history. These files offer a rare glimpse into the FBI’s surveillance, investigation, and documentation of notable personalities and organizations, revealing the intricate ways they interacted with or were perceived by the U.S. government. From influential political leaders and activists to groundbreaking cultural figures, these documents span a wide spectrum of history and provide an invaluable resource for understanding the past. As you navigate through this archive, you will encounter a diverse array of FBI files, each telling a story that contributes to our understanding of historical events and figures. These files include detailed investigations, surveillance reports, and correspondences, all of which highlight the complex relationship between these figures and the federal agency. Whether you are a student, researcher, or history enthusiast, this archive serves as a fascinating portal into the past, offering insights into the motives, actions, and societal impacts of some of the most intriguing figures and groups in history. This collection is not just about the individuals and groups it covers, but also about the broader context of American history and the role of national security in it. Document Archive 1920 Wall Street Bombing – [2,137 Pages, 152MB] – The Wall Street bombing occurred at 12:01 pm on Thursday, September 16, 1920, in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. The blast killed thirty people immediately, and another ten died later of wounds sustained in the blast. There were 143 seriously injured, and the total number of injured was in the hundreds. The bombing was never solved, although investigators and historians believe it was carried out by Galleanists (Italian anarchists), a group responsible for a series of bombings the previous year. The attack was related to postwar social unrest, labor struggles, and anti-capitalist agitation in the United States. Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani – [3 Pages, 1.2MB] – Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani GCB GCMG (17 September 1932 – 23 October 2016‎‎) was the Emir of Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son Hamad bin Khalifa on 27 June 1995. He was the grandfather of the current Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Abel, Rudolf – FBI Release #1 – [1,812 Pages, 934MB] Abel, Rudolf – FBI Release #2 – [1,794 Pages, 371MB] – Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (Russian: Рудольф Иванович Абель), real name Vilyam “Willie” Genrikhovich Fisher (Вильям “Вилли” Генрихович Фишер), (July 11, 1903 – November 15, 1971) was a Soviet intelligence officer. He adopted his alias when arrested on charges of conspiracy by FBI agents in 1957. In 1957 the U.S. Federal Court in New York convicted Fisher on three counts of conspiracy as a Soviet spy for his involvement in what became known as the Hollow Nickel Case and sentenced him to 30 years’ imprisonment at Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, Georgia. He served just over four years of his sentence before he was exchanged for captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. Back in the Soviet Union, he lectured on his experiences. He died in 1971 at the age of 68. Abrams, Stephen Irwin – FBI Release #1 – [28 Pages, 13.3MB] Abrams, Stephen Irwin – FBI Release #2 – [9 Pages, 1.3MB] – Stephen Irwin Abrams (15 July 1938 in Chicago, Illinois – 21 November 2012) was an American scholar of parapsychology and a cannabis rights activist who was a long-standing resident of the United Kingdom. He is best known for sponsoring and authoring the full page advertisement petitioning for cannabis law reform which appeared in The Times on 24 July 1967. Accuracy in the Media – [20 Pages, 1.4MB] – Accuracy in Media (AIM) is an American non-profit conservative news media watchdog founded in 1969 by economist Reed Irvine. AIM supported the Vietnam War and blamed media bias for U.S. loss in the war. During the Reagan administration, AIM criticized reporting about the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador. During the Clinton administration, AIM pushed Vince Foster conspiracy theories. During the George W. Bush administration, AIM accused the media of bias against the Iraq War, defended the Bush administration’s use of torture, and campaigned to stop the United States from signing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It described 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama as “the most radical candidate ever to stand at the precipice of acquiring his party’s presidential nomination. It is apparent that he is a member of an international socialist movement.” It also criticized the media’s response to COVID-19. Albertson, William – [492 Pages, 135MB] – William Albertson, an American communist party leader who in 1964 was the subject of a snitch jacket, an FBI project to forge and plant a fictional report identifying him as an informant for the Bureau. Albertson, William – [4 Pages, 2.37MB] – Records are now destroyed, which may indicate the below release in 2011 may be among what was destroyed. It’s also possible those files are now at NARA, as there is a huge list of numbers that were transferred, as archived here with this letter. The Black Vault did not pursue getting them. Albertson, William – [2,563 Pages, 125.3MB] – (Source: GovernmentAttic.org Release) Alexander, Donald Crichton – [106 Pages, 125.3 MB] – Donald Crichton Alexander (May 22, 1921 – February 2, 2009) was a tax lawyer and Nixon administration official. Alexander was appointed Commissioner of Internal Revenue by President Richard Nixon in May 1973, and was replaced in February 1977, early in the Jimmy Carter administration. Alinsky, Saul FBI Release, June 2016 – [462 Pages, 31.7MB] – I requested additional records from the FBI (based on their statement that additional records could exist.) The final determination is that the material was destroyed. SEE LETTER HERE ) Alinsky, Saul File #100-BA-30057, NARA Release, August 2016 – [32 Pages, 35.7 MB] Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909 – June 12, 1972) was an American community organizer and writer. He is generally considered to be the founder of modern community organizing. He is often noted for his 1971 book Rules for Radicals. In the course of nearly four decades of political organizing, Alinsky received much criticism, but also gained praise from many public figures. His organizing skills were focused on improving the living conditions of poor communities across North America. In the 1950s, he began turning his attention to improving conditions in the African-American ghettos, beginning with Chicago’s and later traveling to other ghettos in California, Michigan, New York City, and a dozen other “trouble spots”. His ideas were adapted in the 1960s by some U.S. college students and other young counterculture-era organizers, who used them as part of their strategies for organizing on campus and beyond. Time magazine wrote in 1970 that “It is not too much to argue that American democracy is being altered by Alinsky’s ideas.” Conservative author William F. Buckley, Jr. said in 1966 that Alinsky was “very close to being an organizational genius”. Allen, Paul – [160 Pages, 28MB] – Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He was best known for co-founding Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which helped spark the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Microsoft became the world’s largest personal computer software company. Allen was ranked as the 44th-wealthiest person in the world by Forbes in 2018, with an estimated net worth of $20.3 billion at the time of his death. Alpha 66 – [1,347 Pages, 67.5MB] – Alpha 66 is an anti-Castro paramilitary organization that operates in the Southern United States. The group was originally formed by Cuban exiles in the early 1960s and was most active in the late 1970s and 1980s. Although its base of support has greatly eroded due to the end of the Cold War and the thawing of relations between the United States and Cuba, Alpha 66 is still active today and is recognized as a terrorist organization by state governments and research groups alike. America’s Most Wanted – FBI Release #1 – [355 Pages, 18MB] America’s Most Wanted – FBI Release #2 – [377 Pages, 18MB] – America’s Most Wanted is an American television program that was produced by 20th Television. At the time of its cancellation by the Fox television network in June 2011, it was the longest-running program in the network’s history (25 seasons), a mark since surpassed by The Simpsons. The show started off as a half-hour program on February 7, 1988. In 1990, the show’s format was changed from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The show’s format was reverted to 30 minutes in 1995, and then back to 60 minutes in 1996. A short-lived syndicated spinoff titled America’s Most Wanted: Final Justice aired during the 1995-96 season. Note: Although America’s Most Wanted was not the main subject of a file, the FBI released their files that mentioned America’s Most Wanted in connection to their respective files. This batch, is everything they sent. American Alliance of Museums – [109 Pages, 53.9 MB] – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the Ameri...