Who Really Killed Malcolm X?

Growing up in a 95% white community, I'm grateful for enlightened teachers who taught awareness through books like, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." Thank you to all those who have documented his life through books and through film like Spike Lee and now Rachel Dretzin and Phil Bertelsen. I too hope the truth of his assassination will yet be known--and his life and his work will be routinely studied in every high school across America.

It is so important to get to the bottom of a lot of these issues. We always think we can put them behind this and that they are solved. The reality is that most of the time we don't have a clue as to what really happened and who is ultimately responsible. It is usually not the person at the bottom who does not have decision-making power.

No one has mentioned the murder of Huey Newton. He was shot to death on the streets of Oakland by a young gangster and the Oakland police claimed it was over drugs. Why are so many people are willing to take the word of the OPD in the murder of a man they hated?

The Audobon Ballroom is across the street from Presbyterian Hospital's ER and it took what? 30-45 minutes to get him there? I walked it for years on my lunch breaks in the 70s and my breaks were only 30 minutes long. (What's up with that?)

The stink of the FBI is all over the assassination of Malcolm X. Mike

Nobody is absolutely sure who killed Malcolm X. Incredible it's taken so long to reopen this investigation.

Until our government renames the FBI headquarters building, I will have no confidence that the shoddy policemanship of the decades following Miranda will ever be truly acknowledged. The poor security around Oswald was just the beginning of a lawless two decades. There were lots of other contributing factors to the decline of our cities during that period, but there is no way you can convince me that criminals could have stripped broken down cars in broad daylight on busy highways if the police were doing their job properly.

For those who are interested, a compilation of dozens of FBI files (many hundreds of pages) on Malcolm X can be found at https://www.muckrock.com/foi/united-states-of-america-10/malcolm-x-fbi-17154/files/ The full list of files can be found by clicking on the button at the right-hand bottom of the page. The listed files are fairly heavily redacted and it is likely that there may be additional files somewhere in the FBI, NYPD and various other alphabet agencies, but these give a good idea of the nature and extent of surveillance of his activities. It is clear that some people in government believed he was intending to start a race war. The FBI files listed Malcolm's name variously as Malcolm K. Little, Malcolm X Little, Malcolm Little, Malcolm Shabazz, Malik El Shabazz and Malik Shabazz and possibly others. When shortly before his death he was visiting Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia, Malcolm was listed on a hotel register as John Shabazz. The US State Department must surely have a record of the name listed on Malcolm's passport.

"Through counterintelligence it should be possible to pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them..." We may never know who really did it, but the combination of FBI and NYPD spying, harassment, and ineptitude certainly didn't prevent it.

In the concluding chapters of Manning Marable's biography of Malcolm X he writes that despite numerous FOIA requests to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, he was unable to examine numerous files. Marable intimates that organizations beyond the Nation of Islam were involved in Malcolm's assassination. Clearly the truth surrounding the death of Malcolm X is still being suppressed. "Our black shining prince" in the words of Ossie Davies' eulogy - cut down in the prime of life.

But how about MLK? The US Government was found guilty of his assassination in a civil suit brought by his family to get publicity. But it didn't get publicity and hardly anyone has heard of it. You can read about it in "The Plot To Kill King" by William Pepper, the lawyer who brought the case. So many dead. John and Robert Kennedy, Martin King, and Malcolm. How could it happen?

Another old white lady who admired Malcolm X greatly. Read his writings and watched his speeches and was greatly shocked at his assassination. Seemed at the time that when he could no longer be controlled by the leader of the NOI, he had outlived his usefulness. It is necessary to name the guilty as well as those that covered up information. Looking forward to the documentary.

Malcolm X was my hero.  In his journey of transformation,  he had evolved ideologically from [teaching] the hateful rhetoric of the NOI, to become an inspiring leader for African American human rights, economic independence, and social advancement.  My heart broke that we lost him. I believe Malcolm had the foresight which would have galvanized the various civil rights activists during a crucial time of social and political unrest in this country. After learning about the upcoming Netflix documentary, I decided to re-watch Spike Lee's 1992 film adaptation of, The Autobiography of Malcolm X.  Even though I've seen the movie several times, the ending always haunted me, leaving me with nagging questions about details of his murder, which I hope the documentary will answer. Thank you Netflix for , Who Killed Malcolm X.

I have always been uncomfortable with the idea of the FBI investigating civil rights leaders and the peace movement. While domestic terrorism is a very real threat, possibly more today than ever before, the line between (lawful protest and civil disobedience) and (investigating, preventing and prosecuting) must be tread very carefully. If anything, we need something like the FISA court, but one that applies to civil rights movements and persons. While obviously there exists problems with the FISA court, and it could use some substantial improvements, it is still FAR better than if it didn’t exist at all. For similar reasons, there should be one concerning US citizens that are involved in protest movements, including ones that I would otherwise disagree with the aims of (nationalist, racist, religious extremists, etc.) .

Shortly before Malcolm X was killed I saw him dining alone at a hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. I introduced myself and he invited me to sit. He was surprised that I knew who he was and had learned about him in college. He peered around from time to time a bit nervously; his notes from that period indicate he feared assassination and was (justly) paranoid about surveillance by the FBI and other US agencies. I invited him to dinner with a group of Peace Corps Volunteers the next evening. He took water but declined food, perhaps because it was served by an Ethiopian servant or he was concerned about being poisoned. He spoke eloquently and at length. Some of my fellow Volunteers, newly-minted lawyers from Ivy schools, tried to debate him but his skills clearly exceeded theirs. A main point that has stuck with me all these decades is that, in discussions with many African heads of state, most of which had received Peace Corps Volunteers (mostly white) and other US personnel and financial support, Malcolm had come to think it might be possible for blacks and whites to work together, that conflict and violence were not inevitable. This change of heart may have contributed to his being killed by those who wanted black/white violence; ironically, I was chastised and almost sent back to the US for exposing Peace Corps to potentially embarrassing publicity by having anything to do with a "firebrand" who was expected to promote race riots.

Sometimes the real criminals wear badges. Others have law degrees. Rarely do they get caught and even more rare; punished.

Truly this was the loss of a great person, great thinker and true to his heart. I miss him still. Never got to see him, but read his autobiography and other writings and quotes, and was so sad and frustrated that he was murdered as he was developing the next phases of his life, and of our lives. From an old white guy who grew up in NYC then, and was looking for a better society. Still missing the voices of MalcolmX, JFK, RFK, MLK, and too many others taken out with cold-blooded deliberation. I'm hoping that the Trump Asylum can keep a lid on murders in their name, but I'm not convinced. With love, David

Thank you New York Times...where would we be as Americans seeking TRUTH without you and your companion paper the Washington Post. This old white southern woman loved Malcolm X, loved his "autobiography" and his transformation from very angry man to awakened man. Another great we lost in the slaughter of the 1960s. When I compare the maniac in the White House to this man who was taken from us along with JFK, MLK, Jr., and RFK I want to weep.

The assassination of Malcom X will always and forever confirm Mr. Farrakhan as nothing but a fraud.

Finally! Thank you for reporting this. There are several assassinations from the 60's (I had not yet been born) that history does not adequately explain at least not to my inquiring mind.

A very sad case of American History. Yes an inquiry should be held but it appears that most of the key players are no longer alive.

"Responding to a question about a 1965 article he wrote in Muhammad Speaks newspaper saying Malcolm X was "worthy of death," Minister Farrakhan again pointed out that the critical part of the quote continues to be omitted when it is referred to and taken out of context." ""The other part of the sentence said that, it would have been so ‘if it had not been for Muhammad’s confidence in Allah for victory over the enemies.’ So there was no threat against Minister Malcolm in those words, however, those who have used those words use half of the sentence" for the purpose of "discrediting me and the new Nation of Islam that has come up around me," he said." http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_9618.shtml

The FBI spied and harassed MLK & Malcom X, infiltrating gatherings & recruiting informants in a relentless effort to bring them down. No matter who pulled the trigger, the FBI created the opportunity.

The NYPD led the “botched” murder investigation. The NYPD had detectives working undercover (like Gene Roberts) and informants in the NOI and in Malcolm’s organizations (OAAU and MMI). The NYPD was uncharacteristically absent from the Audubon Ballroom on the day Malcolm was murdered. In order for the truth to come out, the NYPD must release its surveillance files.

I have long believed if Malcolm X, Dr. King and Robert Kennedy had lived our country would be greatly different than it is today. It is going to be interesting to watch the Netflix program.

This was one of the great tragedies of the civil rights era. The two Kennedies, MLK Jr, Malcolm, Evers - the loss of this attractive and compelling leadership set the progressive movement back and we have not yet recovered. Assassination is an effective tool, as we are seeing again today around the world, hopefully not here...

Malcolm X was the greatest American of my time. In his last year, he had shucked the racism of his earlier career. He said something like: that was a bad trip, man. He reached out to whites, but maintained his focus on Black nationalism. He said whites were welcome, but they better be prepared to be like John Brown. He sought to work with Martin Luther King, and one is awed and grief stricken by the thought of what they may have done together. And we with them. History needs to know why he died at the threshold of his greatest works. The traditional story is very unsatisfactory. May this investigation finally let us know what really happened.

I certainly hope this investigation leads to a full accounting of the truth. Louis Farrakhan should be made to testify under oath. I suspect he might know something.