Aaron, Daniel – [20 Pages, 7.0MB] – Daniel Aaron (August 4, 1912 – April 30, 2016) was an American writer and academic who helped found the Library of America. In 1979, he helped found the Library of America, where he served as president to 1985 and board member and remained an emeritus board member.
Abbey, Edward Paul – [151 Pages, 11.12MB] – Jane Addams (1860-1935) was an internationally known social worker, activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. This release concerns a treason investigation opened in 1924 involving the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; Addams was a founding member of the organization.
Agee, Philip – [245 Pages, 94.2MB] – Philip Burnett Franklin Agee (July 19, 1935 – January 7, 2008) was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer and writer, best known as author of the 1975 book, Inside the Company: CIA Diary, detailing his experiences in the CIA. Agee joined the CIA in 1957, and over the following decade had postings in Washington, D.C., Ecuador, Uruguay and Mexico. After resigning from the Agency in 1968, he became a leading opponent of CIA practices. A co-founder of CovertAction Quarterly, he died in Cuba in January 2008.
Ambrose, Stephen – [52 Pages, 13.2MB] – Stephen Edward Ambrose (January 10, 1936 – October 13, 2002) was an American historian and biographer of U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He was a longtime professor of history at the University of New Orleans and the author of many bestselling volumes of American popular history. Beginning late in his life and continuing after his death, however, evidence and reports have continued to surface documenting longtime patterns of plagiarism and inaccuracies in many of his published writings and other work. In response to one of the early reports, Ambrose said he was not “out there stealing other people’s writings.” In the wake of his death, a reviewer for the New York Times did not absolve him completely, but opined that “he certainly deserved better from some of his envious peers” and credited the historian with reaching “an important lay audience without endorsing its every prejudice or sacrificing the profession’s standards of scholarship.”
Asimov, Isaac – [16 Pages, 7.7MB] – Isaac Asimov (born Isaak Ozimov; c. January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He was known for his works of science fiction and popular science. Asimov was a prolific writer, and wrote or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His books have been published in 9 of the 10 major categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification.
Baldwin, James – [491 Pages, 307MB] – James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native Son (1955), explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th-century America, and their inevitable if unnameable tensions. Some Baldwin essays are book-length, for instance The Fire Next Time (1963), No Name in the Street (1972), and The Devil Finds Work (1976).. This release consists of information from FBI files between 1963 and 1971.
Baraka, Amiri – [107 Pages, 52.4MB] – Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an African-American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous books of poetry and taught at several universities, including the State University of New York at Buffalo and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He received the PEN Open Book Award, previously known as the Beyond Margins Award, in 2008 for Tales of the Out and the Gone.
Bennett, Gwendolyn – [25 Pages, 7.9MB] – Gwendolyn B. Bennett (July 8, 1902 – May 30, 1981) was an American artist, writer, and journalist who contributed to Opportunity, which chronicled cultural advancements during the Harlem Renaissance. Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose. She is perhaps best known for her short story “Wedding Day”, which was published in the first issue of Fire!! This release was from the National Archives, and consists of newspaper clippings.
Blatty, William – [79 Pages, 6MB] – William Peter Blatty (January 7, 1928 – January 12, 2017) was an American writer and filmmaker best known for his 1971 novel The Exorcist and for the Academy Award-winning screenplay of its film adaptation. He also wrote and directed the sequel The Exorcist III. After the success of The Exorcist, Blatty reworked Twinkle, Twinkle, “Killer” Kane! (1960) into a new novel titled The Ninth Configuration, published in 1978. Two years later, Blatty adapted the novel into a film of the same title and won Best Screenplay at the 38th Golden Globe Awards. Some of his other notable works are the novels Elsewhere (2009), Dimiter (2010) and Crazy (2010). Born and raised in New York City, Blatty received his bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University in 1950, and his master’s degree in English literature from the George Washington University. Following completion of his master’s degree in 1954, he joined the United States Air Force, where he worked in the Psychological Warfare Division. After service in the air force, he worked for the United States Information Agency in Beirut.
Bradbury, Ray – [40 Pages, 1.4MB] – Ray Douglas Bradbury (1920-2012) was an award-winning science fiction author. In 1968, the FBI briefly investigated him for possible travel to Cuba, which had been banned by U.S. law. The investigation was very limited and was closed when the Bureau determined that Bradbury did not plan to travel Cuba.
Brecht, Bertolt – [ File #1 | File #2 | File #3 | File #4 ] – 1940’s internal security investigation of Bertolt Brecht, author and poet, due to his affiliation with Soviet officials and other known communists.
Briggs, Cyril Valentine – [ 356 Pages, 31.7MB ] – Cyril Valentine Briggs (1888-1966) was an African-Caribbean American writer and communist political activist. Briggs is best remembered as founder and editor of The Crusader, a seminal New York magazine of the New Negro Movement of the 1920s and as founder of the African Blood Brotherhood, a small but historically important radical organization dedicated to advancing the cause of Pan-Africanism.
Bukowski, Charles – [110 Pages, 25.3MB] – Henry Charles Bukowski (born Heinrich Karl Bukowski; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-born American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles. His work addresses the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, and the drudgery of work. Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels, eventually publishing over 60 books. The FBI kept a file on him as a result of his column, Notes of a Dirty Old Man, in the LA underground newspaper Open City.
Casolaro, Danny – [11 Pages, 0.8MB ] – Joseph Daniel Casolaro (June 16, 1947 – August 10, 1991) was an American freelance writer who came to public attention in 1991 when he was found dead in a bathtub in Room 517 of the Sheraton Hotel in Martinsburg, West Virginia, his wrists slashed 10–12 times. A note was found, and the medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. His death became controversial because his notes suggested he was in Martinsburg to meet a source about a story he called “the Octopus.” This centered on a sprawling collaboration involving an international cabal, and primarily featuring a number of stories familiar to journalists who worked in and near Washington, D.C. in the 1980s—the Inslaw case, about a software manufacturer whose owner accused the Justice Department of stealing its work product; the October Surprise theory that during the Iran hostage crisis, Iran deliberately held back American hostages to help Ronald Reagan win the 1980 presidential election, the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, and Iran–Contra.
Condon, Richard – [16 Pages, 1.1MB ] – Richard Thomas Condon (March 18, 1915 in New York City – April 9, 1996 in Dallas, Texas) was a prolific and popular American political novelist whose satiric works were generally presented in the form of thrillers or semi-thrillers. More than being particularly clever genre works, however, all 26 books were written in a style nearly always instantly recognizable as Condon’s, while their focus was almost always obsessively directed at monetary greed and political corruption. Fast-moving and easily accessible, they generally combined elements of political satire, bare-knuckled outrage at the greed and corruption of those in power, and were written with extravagant characterizations and a uniquely sparkling and frequently humorous style. Condon himself once said: “Every book I’ve ever written has been about abuse of power. I feel very strongly about that. I’d like people to know how deeply their politicians wrong them.” Condon occasionally achieved bestseller status, and many of his books were made into films, but today he is primarily remembered for two of his works: an early book, The Manchurian Candidate of 1959, and, many years later, for four novels about a family of New York gangsters named Prizzi.
The Manchurian Candidate – [19 Pages, 5.1MB ] – The Manchurian Candidate (1959), by Richard Condon, is a political thriller novel about the son of a prominent U.S. political family who is brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for a Communist conspiracy. The novel has been adapted twice into a feature film by the same title, in 1962 and again in 2004.
This FBI File was tracked down to the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA), and is part of the JFK Assassination Collection.
Cooper, Courtney Ryley – FBI Release #1 – [2,346 Pages, 229.7MB]Cooper, Courtney Ryley – FBI Release #2 – [480 Pages, 380.6MB] – The Biggest Jail on Earth As Told By J. Edgar Hoover, Director, United States Bureau of Investigation to Courtney Ryley Cooper. Continued in the file below:Cooper, Courtney Ryley – FBI Release #3 – [317 Pages, 45.5MB] – The rest of The Biggest Jail on Earth As Told By J. Edgar Hoover, Director, United States Bureau of Investigation to Courtney Ryley Cooper.Courtney Ryley Cooper (October 31, 1886 – September 29, 1940) was an American circus performer, publicist and writer. During his career he published over 30 books, many focusing on crime; J. Edgar Hoover considered him at one time “the best informed man on crime in the U. S.” He was also an expert on circuses, and was the chief publicist for Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus at the time of his death.
di Prima, Diane – [12 Pages, 0.7MB] – Diane di Prima (August 6, 1934 – October 25, 2020) was an American poet, known for her association with the Beat movement. She was also an artist, prose writer, and teacher. Her magnum opus is widely considered to be Loba, a collection of poems first published in 1978 then extended in 1998. Dyer, Wayne – [2 Pages, 0.3MB] – Way
ne Walter Dyer (May 10, 1940 – August 29, 2015) was an American philosopher, self-help author, and a motivational speaker. His first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), is one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 35 million copies sold to date.
Please note: The FBI found 444 pages responsive to my request, but it does require payment. If you are interested in sponsoring this file, please, CONTACT me. The letter is archived here for reference.
Evans, Medford Bryan – [10 Pages, 6.3MB] – Medford Bryan Evans (August 21, 1907 – February 4, 1989) was a college professor, author, editor, and critic of liberalism in American politics, education, and society. He was the father of the columnist M. Stanton Evans.
Faulkner, William – [File #1] – The FBI investigated a possible extortion violation in 1957 when the wife of the famous author received several phone calls asking for $500 for certain information about her husband.
Fleming, Ian – FBI Release #1 – [29 Pages, 20.8 MB]Fleming, Ian – FBI Release #2 – [3 Pages, 0.8 MB]Ian L. Fleming (1908 to 1964) is the author of a number of novels featuring the fictitious British spy James Bond. This old release consists of material regarding the inquiry of a movie production company for assistance in the production of Goldfinger, a movie based on one of Fleming’s novels.
Fo, Dario – [170 Pages, 6.2 MB] – Dario Fo (24 March 1926 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian actor–playwright, comedian, singer, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, painter, political campaigner for the Italian left-wing and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. In his time he was “arguably the most widely performed contemporary playwright in world theatre”. Much of his dramatic work depends on improvisation and comprises the recovery of “illegitimate” forms of theatre, such as those performed by giullari (medieval strolling players) and, more famously, the ancient Italian style of commedia dell’arte.
Fuentes, Carlos – [170 Pages, 9.33 MB] – Carlos Fuentes Macias (1928-2012), aka Carlos Fuentes, was a noted Mexican writer. The material in this file concerns his proposed travel and subsequent visa issues with the U.S. State Department between 1962 and 1983.
Ginzburg, Ralph – [32 Pages, 17.2MB] – Ralph Ginzburg (October 28, 1929 – July 6, 2006) was an American author, editor, publisher and photo-journalist. He was best known for publishing books and magazines on erotica and art and for his conviction in 1963 for violating federal obscenity laws.Gordon Gordon – [474 Pages, 33.1 MB] – Gordon Gordon was an editor of the Tucson Citizen newspaper and a publicist with 20th Century Fox from 1935-1942, and later served as an FBI counter-intelligence agent during World War II for three years.
Hemmingway, Ernest – [122 Pages, 8.88 MB] – Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was a noted American author and journalist. This release consists of one FBI main file on Hemingway with documents ranging from 1942 to 1974. The bulk of it concerns Hemingway’s intelligence work on behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba between 1942 and 1944.
Hochhuth, Rolf – [5 Pages, 8.88MB] – Rolf Hochhuth (1 April 1931 – 13 May 2020) was a German author and playwright, best known for his 1963 drama The Deputy, which insinuates Pope Pius XII’s indifference to Hitler’s extermination of the Jews, and he remained a controversial figure both for his plays and other public comments and for his 2005 defense of British Holocaust denier David Irving.
Irving, Clifford – [47 Pages, 4MB] – Clifford Michael Irving (November 5, 1930 – December 19, 2017) was an American novelist and investigative reporter. Although he published 20 novels, he is best known for an “autobiography” allegedly written as told to Irving by billionaire recluse Howard Hughes. The fictional work was to have been published in 1972. After Hughes denounced him and sued the publisher, McGraw-Hill, Irving and his collaborators confessed to the hoax. He was sentenced to 2½ years in prison, of which he served 17 months.
Mailer, Norman – FBI Release #1 – [166 Pages, 9.30 MB] Mailer, Norman – National Archives Release #1 – [5 Pages, 1.9MB]Norman Kingsley Mailer (1923-2007)— an American writer and director—was the author of the bestselling novel The Naked and the Dead. This release consists of one section of an FBI domestic security investigative file on Mailer. The file begins in 1962 and ends in 1974.