Also, Mr. Mortimer had already learned of the contents of the selective service file pertaining to Sinatra and knew the location of the board in Jersey City. He indicated that while he had secured the contents of this file on an informal basis, he understood that these records were not subject to subpoena.
Mr. Mortimer had already contacted Robert Ruark, who has written several derogatory articles concerning Sinatra.
Mr. Mortimer told me that he understood that Colonel Fain D"Orsey, alias Charles Conley, was arrested in the spring of 1946 for smuggling narcotics from Mexico to the United States and at the time of his arrest was driving a station wagon which belongs to Sinatra. He indicated that Sinatra has made no effort to secure repossession of this station wagon but he has learned that possibly D"Orsey will furnish enough information to the Narcotics Bureau to include Sinatra in a conspiracy charge. He stated he planned to have the Hearst Office arrange for him to see Mr. Anslinger, of the Narcotics Bureau, in an effort to run this down. I am trying to ascertain whether we have a criminal record of this person on the basis of the information furnished.
Mr. Mortimer was appreciative of the opportunity to talk to me and thoroughly understood we could not be of any official a.s.sistance to him in this matter.
In an open letter to the public issued in the spring of 1947, Sinatra denounced "certain unscrupulous newspapermen" who were attacking him and thanked the journalists standing by him, including Winch.e.l.l, who had a role in touching off the Sinatra draft investigation in 1944. And years later, Winch.e.l.l evidently pa.s.sed on another damaging and unsubstantiated allegation to the FBI, as evidenced by this excerpt from a memo sent by the Los Angeles FBI office to Hoover.
The Bureau by letter to Springfield dated July 11, 1951, captioned[image] INFORMATION CONCERNING, furnished a photostatic copy of a letter written by INFORMATION CONCERNING, furnished a photostatic copy of a letter written by[image] Peoria, Illinois, dated July 23, 1950, addressed to Mr. WALTER WINCh.e.l.l. A copy of this letter was confidentially furnished to the Bureau. The letter contains quotations from a booklet written by KENNETH GOFF ent.i.tled "Confessions of Stalin"s Agent." One of the quotations describes SINATRA as "one of the outstanding Reds in Hollywood." According to Peoria, Illinois, dated July 23, 1950, addressed to Mr. WALTER WINCh.e.l.l. A copy of this letter was confidentially furnished to the Bureau. The letter contains quotations from a booklet written by KENNETH GOFF ent.i.tled "Confessions of Stalin"s Agent." One of the quotations describes SINATRA as "one of the outstanding Reds in Hollywood." According to[image] letter, the booklet also includes other allegations concerning SINATRA. letter, the booklet also includes other allegations concerning SINATRA.
Another reporter, Bill Davidson of Look Look magazine, asked the FBI for derogatory information on Sinatra in 1957. His January 20 letter to Louis Nichols, a Hoover aide, cited "constant allegations" circulating about Sinatra: Had Sinatra been arrested for rape or a.s.sault in Jersey City or Hoboken in the early 1930s? the journalist wanted to know. Had his mother been arrested and charged as an abortionist? And had two of Sinatra"s uncles been arrested for bootlegging during Prohibition? magazine, asked the FBI for derogatory information on Sinatra in 1957. His January 20 letter to Louis Nichols, a Hoover aide, cited "constant allegations" circulating about Sinatra: Had Sinatra been arrested for rape or a.s.sault in Jersey City or Hoboken in the early 1930s? the journalist wanted to know. Had his mother been arrested and charged as an abortionist? And had two of Sinatra"s uncles been arrested for bootlegging during Prohibition?
In response, the FBI official immediately ordered up a synopsis of the Sinatra files (below) that included specific replies to Davidson"s inquiries. Later that year, Davidson wrote an award-winning series on Sinatra for Look Look magazine, prompting libel and invasion-of-privacy lawsuits from the singer, which were eventually dropped magazine, prompting libel and invasion-of-privacy lawsuits from the singer, which were eventually dropped.
TO: Mr. Nichols January 23, 1957 January 23, 1957 FROM: M. A. Jones
SUBJECT: FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA.
AKA. FRANK SINATRA.
SYNOPSIS:.
Frank Sinatra was born December 12, 1915 or 1916, at Hoboken, New Jersey, of Italian-born parents. He left high school in 1935 to obtain employment and during that year, began his singing career in night clubs and road houses in the northern New Jersey area. He was married in 1939 to Nancy Barbato and has three children by that marriage. He divorced her in 1951 and married actress Ava Gardner, from whom he was separated after approximately two years of marriage. Allegations concerning his contacts with the Communist Party and numerous communist front groups came to the Bureau"s attention for a number of years and were included in a memorandum sent to the State Department in December, 1954, on their request for a name check on Sinatra. In view of a sworn affidavit, executed by him on January 10, 1955, in connection with his application for a pa.s.sport, to the effect that he had never been a member of the Communist Party or of any organization of a subversive character, the State Department requested an investigation by the Bureau to determine whether prosecution was warranted against Sinatra for making a false statement in the application. The investigation developed no evidence connecting Sinatra with the Communist Party or any of its front groups aside from his membership in the Independent Citizens Committee of the Arts, Sciences, and Professions in 1946. This organization was cited by the California Committee on Un-American Activities as a communist front and included a number of other prominent citizens in its membership. In 1948, Sinatra allegedly took part in an appeal to the voters of Italy to vote against the communist ticket in the elections then being held in that country. Material has appeared in the press linking Sinatra with known hoodlums, and in February, 1947, he was alleged to have spent four days in the company of Lucky Luciano, the deported Italian criminal who was prominent in the narcotics traffic in America. His name has also been prominently linked with Joseph and Rocco Fischetti, members of the Capone gang, Willie Moretti, former underworld boss of Bergen County, New Jersey, James Tarantino, an a.s.sociate of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, and other hoodlums on the west coast. As recently as 1955, he was seen frequenting an after-hours bottle club in New York frequented by known hoodlums and is reputedly one of the twelve major stockholders in the Sands Hotel, a gambling establishment in Las Vegas allegedly controlled by Abner "Longy" Zwillman and Joseph Stacher, both notorious gangsters from New Jersey.... Sinatra"s mother, Mrs. Natalie Sinatra, was arrested in November, 1937, on a charge of abortion. No disposition is given for this case. Lawrence Garavente, said to be an uncle of Sinatra.[image][image] Bureau files do not verify his relationship to Sinatra. In 1944, columnist Frederick C. Othman, in a syndicated article, quoted Sinatra as saying that he received a letter from the Bureau concerning an applicant in which he was requested to return four autographed photographs for the girls in Mr. Nichols" office. When contacted, Sinatra denied the story but stated that he had received a letter of that kind from the office of the Adjutant General and would have Othman correct the matter. In September, 1950, through an intermediary, Sinatra offered his services to the Bureau, and the Director noted his agreement with Mr. Tolson"s comment that we "want nothing to do with him." Bureau files do not verify his relationship to Sinatra. In 1944, columnist Frederick C. Othman, in a syndicated article, quoted Sinatra as saying that he received a letter from the Bureau concerning an applicant in which he was requested to return four autographed photographs for the girls in Mr. Nichols" office. When contacted, Sinatra denied the story but stated that he had received a letter of that kind from the office of the Adjutant General and would have Othman correct the matter. In September, 1950, through an intermediary, Sinatra offered his services to the Bureau, and the Director noted his agreement with Mr. Tolson"s comment that we "want nothing to do with him."
SPECIFIC INQUIRIES MADE BY DAVIDSON.
In his letter, Davidson stated that he planned on doing a definitive, three-part profile on Sinatra for "Look" magazine and was concerned about several items which he had come across since the manner in which they were resolved would help in "pitching" his article....
Davidson asked for verification of the following: 1. That Sinatra was arrested for rape in Jersey City or Hoboken around 1934. The charge is supposed to have been reduced to seduction and then thrown out by the Grand Jury. (Westbrook Pegler has reported this several times in his columns.) COMMENT: The records of the clerk of the Second Criminal Judicial District of the county of Bergen, Hackensack, New Jersey, reveal the following information: Docket 15228 in the State vs. Frank Sinatra reflects that Sinatra was charged on November 26, 1938, by[image] New Jersey, as follows: "On the second and ninth days of November, 1938, ... under the promise of marriage, he (Sinatra) did then and there have s.e.xual intercourse with the said complainant who was then and there a single female of good repute...." The complaint was withdrawn when it was ascertained that the complainant was in fact married. Docket 15307 in the case of the State vs. Frank Sinatra, indicates a complaint was filed on December 21, 1938, by New Jersey, as follows: "On the second and ninth days of November, 1938, ... under the promise of marriage, he (Sinatra) did then and there have s.e.xual intercourse with the said complainant who was then and there a single female of good repute...." The complaint was withdrawn when it was ascertained that the complainant was in fact married. Docket 15307 in the case of the State vs. Frank Sinatra, indicates a complaint was filed on December 21, 1938, by[image][image] New Jersey, charging Sinatra with adultery in that he "... on the second and ninth days of November, 1938, ... committed adultery with the said complainant, a married woman and wife of New Jersey, charging Sinatra with adultery in that he "... on the second and ninth days of November, 1938, ... committed adultery with the said complainant, a married woman and wife of[image] Docket 18540, for the Prosecutor of Bills, Bergen County, reveals that no bill was returned on January 17, 1939, by the grand jury, and the complaint charging adultery was dismissed in open court for quarter sessions on January 24, 1939.... Docket 18540, for the Prosecutor of Bills, Bergen County, reveals that no bill was returned on January 17, 1939, by the grand jury, and the complaint charging adultery was dismissed in open court for quarter sessions on January 24, 1939....
2. That Sinatra was arrested and convicted of a.s.sault around the same time (presumably the 1930"s).
COMMENT: There is no information in Bufiles [bureau files] or the records of the Identification Division to substantiate such an arrest. News articles, however, reflect that Sinatra was arrested on April 9, 1947, in Hollywood on a battery warrant based upon a complaint by Lee Mortimer, New York columnist. Sinatra entered a plea of not guilty and was released on a $500 bail. No disposition of this case appears in the file.
3. That Mrs. Natalie Sinatra, his mother, was arrested 6 or 7 times for operating an abortion mill in Hoboken between the years 1930 and 1950 and that she might have been convicted once.
COMMENT: "Time" magazine, ... a copy of which is attached, reported that Sinatra"s mother, known generally as Dolly Sinatra, started out as a practical nurse and helped her husband run a little barroom at the corner of Jefferson and Fourth in Hoboken. She allegedly was active in Democratic ward politics and acted as a midwife at a number of neighborhood births. According to the article, she was a "power" in her part of town, and in 1909 was made a district leader. In 1926, the Mayor of Hoboken appointed her husband to a captaincy in the fire department. The records of the Identification Division contain a single card reflecting a criminal arrest on November 15, 1937, of Mrs. Natalie Sinatra, with alias Dolly Sinatra, on a charge of abortion. Her residence was given as 841 Garden Street, Hoboken, New Jersey, and the card was received from the Hoboken, New Jersey, Police Department. No disposition of the case is given, and the incident is not mentioned in Bufiles....
4. That Sinatra"s uncles, Champ and Lawrence Garavente, were arrested and perhaps convicted of bootlegging in Hoboken in the 1920"s and early 1930"s.
COMMENT: There are no references in Bufiles or the records of the Identification Division identical with Champ Garavente. There is no information in Bufiles to the effect that Lawrence Garavente is related to Frank Sinatra.Not all journalists were treated well by the FBI. In this excerpt from a heavily censored memo dated September 17, 1963, the Los Angeles office reports to the director on information provided by a "sensationalist" journalist, whose name the FBI blotted out. The memo recounts threats the journalist received that invoked the name of the reputed mobster Sam Giancana, a Sinatra friend. The journalist also mentions an encounter he"d had with Sinatra at the restaurant the singer owned in Beverly Hills with the actor Peter Lawford, Jack Kennedy"s brother-in-law, and other investors.
[image]said that SINATRA does not like him as he had written up some articles unfavorable to SINATRA several years ago at a time when SINATRA was a part owner of Puccini"s Restaurant.[image] stated he had a date one night and his girl friend insisted on going to Puccini"s and he finally agreed to reluctantly. While stated he had a date one night and his girl friend insisted on going to Puccini"s and he finally agreed to reluctantly. While[image] was at the restaurant SINATRA came in and surveyed the customers and thereafter was at the restaurant SINATRA came in and surveyed the customers and thereafter[image] was paged to the telephone. When he answered the telephone it was dead and as he hung it up SINATRA appeared and called him all kinds of dirty names. was paged to the telephone. When he answered the telephone it was dead and as he hung it up SINATRA appeared and called him all kinds of dirty names.
[image]told SINATRA in effect, "I am not going to hit you since I see you have a number of your hoodlum friends around you. Give me my check and I will get out of here." SINATRA allegedly replied, "I don"t want your money ... it is dirty money."
Three years later, the same journalist contacted the FBI again, as recounted here in an excerpt from a heavily censored Teletype.
TELETYPE.
FBI LOS ANG.
7:07 PM PDST URGENT 5/9/66.
TO: DIRECTOR.
FROM: LOS ANGELES.
INFORMATION CONCERNING.
CAPTIONED INDIVIDUAL TELEPHONICALLY CONTACTED THE OFFICE AT ELEVEN THIRTY A.M. THIS DATE AND ADVISED THAT HE HAD BEEN BEATEN BY FOUR INDIVIDUALS WHOM HE SUSPECTS AS BEING FRANK SINATRA"S MOB. HE REQUESTED FBI a.s.sISTANCE IN IDENTIFYING THESE INDIVIDUALS.
[image]RELATED TO SINATRA"S DIFFICULTIES WITH MEXICAN AUTHORITIES.[image] WENT ON TO STATE THAT ON WENT ON TO STATE THAT ON[image] WHEN HE DROVE HIS CAR WHEN HE DROVE HIS CAR[image] HE WAS GRABBED BY FOUR THUGS AS HE LEFT THE CAR AND WAS SEVERELY BEATEN. HE SAID HE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE HOLLYWOOD DIVISION OF THE LOS ANGELES PD WHO IS INVESTIGATING. HE WAS GRABBED BY FOUR THUGS AS HE LEFT THE CAR AND WAS SEVERELY BEATEN. HE SAID HE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE HOLLYWOOD DIVISION OF THE LOS ANGELES PD WHO IS INVESTIGATING.
HE SAID HE IS CERTAIN IN HIS OWN MIND THAT THE FOUR THUGS WHO COMMITTED THE BEATING WERE MEMBERS OF SINATRA"S GROUP. HE SAID HE BELIEVES THIS SINCE SINATRA THREATENED HIM IN THE PASt.i.t IS NOTED IN LOS ANGELES FILES THAT BY LETTER DATED SEPTEMBER SEVENTEEN, NINETEEN SIXTY-THREE, THE BUREAU WAS ADVISED OF A CONTACT WITH[image] AT WHICH TIME HE SPOKE OF AN ALLEGED THREAT MADE BY SINATRA WHILE AT WHICH TIME HE SPOKE OF AN ALLEGED THREAT MADE BY SINATRA WHILE[image] WAS DINING AT PUCCINI"S RESTAURANT, OF WHICH SINATRA IS REPORTEDLY PART OWNER. WAS DINING AT PUCCINI"S RESTAURANT, OF WHICH SINATRA IS REPORTEDLY PART OWNER.
[image]REQUESTED THAT THE FBI IMMEDIATELY MAKE AVAILABLE TO HIM PHOTOGRAPHS OF SINATRA"S HOODLUM a.s.sOCIATES SO THAT HE,[image] , MIGHT VIEW THEM IN AN EFFORT TO IDENTIFY THE INDIVIDUALS WHO BEAT HIM. , MIGHT VIEW THEM IN AN EFFORT TO IDENTIFY THE INDIVIDUALS WHO BEAT HIM.
[image]WAS TACTFULLY ADVISED THAT THIS WAS NOT A MATTER WITHIN THE INVESTIGATIVE JURISDICTION OF THE FBI, AND THAT IT WAS PURELY A MATTER FOR LOCAL POLICE AUTHORITIES. AT THIS POINT[image] BECAME VERY ARROGANT AND OBNOXIOUS AND DEMANDED THAT THE FBI ENTER HIS CASE. IT SEEMED THAT BECAME VERY ARROGANT AND OBNOXIOUS AND DEMANDED THAT THE FBI ENTER HIS CASE. IT SEEMED THAT[image] WAS MAKING EVERY ATTEMPT TO STAMPEDE THE FBI INTO HIS CASE. WAS MAKING EVERY ATTEMPT TO STAMPEDE THE FBI INTO HIS CASE.
AFTER CLEARLY POINTING OUT THE POSITION OF THE FBI IN A MATTER SUCH AS THIS, THAT WE WILL COOPERATE WITH LOCAL POLICE AUTHORITIES IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE, THAT IT IS A MATTER FOR POLICE INVESTIGATION THE CALL WAS TERMINATED IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE A FRIENDLY TONE.
THREE.
SINATRA AND COMMUNISM.
"Mrs. Roosevelt in pants"
For many years, the FBI was much more concerned with combating the then ominous-seeming threat of communism than with fighting organized crime, the very existence of which Hoover questioned until the late 1950s. From the dawn of the cold war, the FBI intensively monitored the domestic activities of not only the Communist party, but also groups deemed too left-wing by Senator Joseph McCarthy, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and conservative Sinatra antagonists in the press like Lee Mortimer and Westbrook Pegler.
Sinatra was among the first of many entertainment figures whose patriotism was thrown into doubt by the red-baiting of the anti-Communists. His ardently liberal New Deal politics, of course, made him an obvious target. And Sinatra wasn"t shy about collaborating with outspoken leftists, including Albert Maltz, the screenwriter for Sinatra"s acclaimed pro-tolerance film short The House I Live In The House I Live In (1945). The film, which won him a special Academy Award, was a mixed blessing at cold war"s outset: It made him a darling of the American left. (1945). The film, which won him a special Academy Award, was a mixed blessing at cold war"s outset: It made him a darling of the American left.
It is clear, however, that the FBI was overstating the case when, in internal reports from the period, it referred to Sinatra as a "communist sympathizer" or a "CP fellow traveler." In the end, it had nothing on him but the ordinary activities of a liberal celebrity.
Moreover, the singer was more nimble than Maitz and others who were blacklisted; he at first belittled charges that he was a Communist sympathizer, then confronted them head-on. And at one point an intermediary told the FBI that Sinatra was willing to spy on certain groups for the bureau. Thus Sinatra emerged from the McCarthy era with his career, if not his reputation, more or less intact.
A few months after World War II ended and just after the release of The House I Live In, The House I Live In, Sinatra made headlines trying to diffuse racial tensions in Gary, Indiana, where white high school students were boycotting cla.s.ses to protest a desegregation effort Sinatra made headlines trying to diffuse racial tensions in Gary, Indiana, where white high school students were boycotting cla.s.ses to protest a desegregation effort.
Confronting a rowdy and antagonistic audience in the school auditorium, Sinatra stood center stage, his arms folded, staring down the crowd for two anxious minutes until the catcalls and stomping gave way to absolute silence. Then he stepped up to the microphone and announced, Hoboken-style, "I can lick any son of a b.i.t.c.h in this joint." Hostility gave way to cheers, but his impa.s.sioned plea for tolerance ended up insulting some locals and failed to end the strike. It also cemented the boyish singer"s status as a hero to American liberals of every stripe, including Communists.
This excerpt, from a 1950 report in the FBI files, summarized the incident.
GARY, INDIANA, SCHOOL STUDENTS STRIKE INCIDENT, NOVEMBER 1, 1945.
On October 18, 1945, the white students at the Froebel School in Gary, Indiana, went on strike for a second time. The first walkout occurred during September, 1945, when several hundred white students demanded that the school be made an all white school. The Indianapolis Office reported that the trouble between the white and colored races at this school dated back at least to the spring of 1944 when there had been an attempt to establish an all white Parent Teachers a.s.sociation in opposition to the a.s.sociation then functioning under the presidency of Beatrice Lawrence, wife of Howard Lawrence, a Communist Party organizer for Lake County, Indiana. This move was defeated and the PTA, including both white and Negro members, continued with Mrs. Lawrence as President. On November 1, 1945, Frank Sinatra appeared at the Memorial Auditorium in Gary, Indiana, at which time he made an appeal to end the school strike. During his speech Sinatra charged that the strike had been fomented by adults under the leadership of Joseph Lach, a prominent citizen and undertaker in Gary, Indiana. Sinatra referred to Lach as a small time politician who had never been elected to office. Sinatra also attacked Julius Danch and referred to him as a man of shady character, opposed to whites and Negroes a.s.sociating together, and said that he would personally ask the Mayor to throw Danch out of his office as City Hall Custodian. Sinatra also said that he had talked with the student strike leader, Leonard Levenda, who had refused to meet with him, but that he would try again to talk with Lavenda before leaving Gary. Levenda reportedly denied Sinatra"s charge and claimed that he had talked with Sinatra before the meeting and told him that Lach and Danch had no part in the school strike.
Danch was identified as the Editor of a monthly Catholic bulletin, the president of the Hungarian Political Club in Gary, and City Hall Custodian since January, 1943.
As a result of Sinatra"s attack on Lach and Danch, Father Lawrence T. Grothaus, Pastor of the Saint Anthony"s Church and Director of the Catholic Youth Organization in Gary, left the stage in disgust. Father Grothaus told Sinatra"s manager, George Evans, that Sinatra should not have delved into personalities. Evans reportedly replied that Sinatra"s information was in part, at least, received from the confidential files of the FBI. He later stated that he could not recall who had made the statement regarding FBI files; however, Evans" statement pertaining to FBI files was witnessed by Police Captain Peter Billick and Patrolman[image] of the Gary, Indiana Police Department. of the Gary, Indiana Police Department.
Relative to Sinatra"s source of information, Captain Billick advised that a check of Sinatra"s contacts from the time he arrived until he left the same evening revealed that Sinatra had no opportunity to obtain the information concerning Lach and Danch while he was in Gary.
The meeting on November 1, 1945, which was addressed by Frank Sinatra had been arranged by the Anselm Forum. It was said that many of the leaders of the Anselm Forum were CIO leaders and "so-called liberals." The Indianapolis Office advised that they had no record of this group. No evidence was developed from informants of the existence of any subversive activities in connection with the Froebel School strike which, in the opinion of Captain Billick, was brought about by the students acting on their own. He further reported that Julius Danch viciously fought the Communists; however, the Communists did seize upon this strike to charge that it was a plot by the steel mill interests in Gary to divide the colored people against the whites and thereby cause friction between the unions and the mills, in order to defeat a wage increase which the CIO was then demanding. The Communists also charged in a Daily Worker article on September 29, 1945, that Julius Danch had started the move two years ago when he attempted to form an all white PTA. In addition, the American Youth For Democracy organization in Gary distributed pamphlets on one occasion concerning the strike situation....
It was reported that there had been indications that the appearance of Frank Sinatra at Gary, Indiana, on November 1, 1945, "was perhaps induced by the AYD or by the Communist Party.... "
But an unidentified outside source reported that Frank Sinatra paid his own expenses in coming to Gary.
Six weeks following the Gary incident, the special agent in charge (SAC) of Philadelphia told Hoover that an informant had identified Sinatra as a Communist.
TO: Director, FBI DATE: December 12, 1945 DATE: December 12, 1945 FROM: SAC, Philadelphia
SUBJECT: FRANK SINATRA.
SECURITY MATTER-C
Recently, Confidential Informant[image] advised that while attending advised that while attending[image][image] that FRANK SINATRA, well known radio and movie star, is a member of the Communist Party. He was told that SINATRA formerly held membership in the American Youth for Democracy organization of New Jersey but has recently been admitted to the New York branch of the Communist Party. that FRANK SINATRA, well known radio and movie star, is a member of the Communist Party. He was told that SINATRA formerly held membership in the American Youth for Democracy organization of New Jersey but has recently been admitted to the New York branch of the Communist Party.
[image]advised that the reason SINATRA was discussed was because of the recent article which appeared on him in "Life" magazine, setting forth his position on racial hatred and showing SINATRA talking before a Gary, Indiana, high school group.
On November 25, 1945 a full page article appeared in the Sunday "Worker" on FRANK SINATRA. This article was written by WALTER LOWENFELS, Philadelphia correspondent for the "Worker".
In the Sunday "Worker" dated December 2, 1945 under "Pennsylvania News" the following item appeared: "FRANK SINATRA is going to get a gold medal and a silver plaque at the Broadwood Hotel, December 10. He will receive the first annual Golden Slipper Square Club Unity Award for his contribution to racial and religious tolerance."
This information is being furnished for whatever action is deemed advisable.
Hoover months later asked for the first full report on what the FBI had in its files on Sinatra. It was forwarded to Hoover by a top bureau official, Edward A. Tamm, later a federal judge. It contained information about his draft and alleged mob ties, but the bulk was an extraordinarily detailed accounting of his political activities. (The excerpts here have been compiled from two drafts of the same memo; some entries have been deleted to avoid duplication with material elsewhere in this book.)
TO: THE DIRECTOR.
DATE: 2-26-47 DATE: 2-26-47.
FROM: Mr. Edw. A. Tamm
The attached memorandum concerning Frank Sinatra is obviously most poorly and improperly arranged and I am again having it done over.
In view of the length of time since you requested it, however, I thought it might be of some current value to you in its present form.
Attachment a.s.sOCIATION WITH COMMUNISTS AND COMMUNIST FRONT GROUPS.
Bureau files contain numerous references which allege that Sinatra has made speeches for, written articles for, or attended or supported rallies sponsored by organizations dominated by Communist groups. Information in this regard which is of particular interest follows.
It has been ascertained that William Dieterle, a motion picture director in Hollywood and reliably reported to be a strong supporter of the Communist party and the Soviet Union, was in receipt of a letter from Frank Sinatra postmarked at New York City June 26, 1945. On the evening of September 2, 1946, Frank Sinatra was a guest artist at a concert held at Los Angeles, California by the Hollywood Independent Citizens Committee of the Arts, Science, and Professions which has been reliably reported to have been one of the main Communist political pressure and propaganda groups existing. It has been reliably reported that an unknown person conferred with Lionel Berman, Communist party member and celebrity contact man for the Communist party in New York City, relative to the possibility of getting Frank Sinatra to speak at an inter-racial meeting to be held at Corona, Long Island. It has been reliably reported that Frank Sinatra was scheduled for appearance on a program sponsored by the Paramount Studio Club in Los Angeles, California, held on February 12, 1946. One of the scheduled speakers at this meeting was identified as Earl Robinson, a member of the Communist party in that area.
Gerald L. K. Smith, who was called before the Congressional Committee investigating un-American activities, pet.i.tioned the Committee to investigate the activities of Frank Sinatra who, he stated, seems to be a highly paid, emaciated crooner but who recently gave support to a meeting of the American Youth for Democracy which held an elaborate banquet at the Hotel Amba.s.sador in Los Angeles, December 16, 1945.
The Daily Worker under date of September 15, 1945 reported that Frank Sinatra would be a sponsor of the World Youth Conference to be held in London October 31 to November 9, 1945.
An unusually reliable source informed that a yearbook to be published by the American Youth Division of the Communist Party will reportedly contain contributions by Frank Sinatra.
In the September 6, 1945 issue of "The Witness," an article written by Edward Harrison ent.i.tled "The Church"s Joint Support of Republican Spain" reflected that the Church League for Industrial Democracy has joined with a large number of organizations in sponsoring a rally on behalf of Republican Spain which rally would be held in Madison Square Garden the evening of September 24, 1945 and speakers would include Frank Sinatra.
In the Daily Worker dated January 2, 1945 an article headed "Yugoslav Relief Opens 1946 Drive" sets out that the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief opened its activities for 1946 with a Town Hall Benefit Concert organized by the Greenwich Village Chapter. The concert was sponsored by individuals including Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra.
An article in the Daily Worker dated May 21, 1946 quoted Frank Sinatra as denying charges that he was crooning American bobby soxers into the hands of the Comunists. The article states that a representative of the Knights of Columbus alleged that Sinatra, a Catholic, had aligned himself with Communists when he spoke at a Red Rally of 16,000 left wingers in New York"s Madison Square Garden. Sinatra stated it was a rally sponsored by the Veterans Committee of the Independent Citizens Committee of Arts, Science and Professions urging the pa.s.sage of legislation to provide housing for veterans. Sinatra was quoted as saying, "The minute anyone tries to help the little guy he is called a Communist."
It is reliably reported that Frank Sinatra sent $100 to the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee in response to a telegraphic request for a donation. In addition a request was made of Sinatra to appear as a guest at a dinner given by the organization on December 4, 1944 in honor of William Gropper, a contributor to the Daily Worker.
The Daily Worker for January 16, 1946 reported that Sinatra received an award at the "New Ma.s.ses" dinner held at the Hotel Commodore, New York for his courageous fight on behalf of all minorities.
It has been reliably reported that Frank Sinatra was selected as a vice chairman of the Board of Directors Independent Citizens Committee of the Arts, Science and Professions, Incorporated at a meeting held February 10, 1946. This group has been reported to be a Communist Party front group and several of its officers are reported Communists or fellow travelers.