Federal Bureau of Investigation: Mattachine Society, May 21, 1953

Below is an an art work created by copying into Word software the first page of the pdf of the F.B.I.'s report on the Mattachine Society, dated May 21, 1953, and bolding certain words. The F.B.I. file refers to an article written by Harry Hay, published, anonymously in One magazine in May 1953, and titled "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Homosexual?" It was designed to answer charges of Communist influence over the Mattachine Society. (See: http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/Harry_Hay:_Founding_the_Mattachine,_part_2) == Jonathan Ned Katz, July 5, 2010

See also: F.B.I. and Homosexuality: A History

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0 : Director, :FBI DATB: May 21, 1953 I

I 'I'~OM: SAO, San Diogo )100-0) i • 7724 hiD f j

.fv1r SUBJECT: '1HE PUlltICA:rrO~~EIIt \ - .D ~.. 1

",~f 4 SECURiTY; MA'l.'TER':l OIV.f),J:t IVO_IH pIJ~!t II/!. '2.bJfJ;.~/.. c -!. Ei:!..f)1 ' ~I

~IVOn M~, 1953, bonfidential Informanti Fa: knOYlll~, '

'-. reliability lIho 'l~ sex deviate contacted SA. ROBERT KARt. Ther.,.\, \ Q ... /

Infomant mado a't Ll~l.Jt a copy of a Publication entitled.'tONEI1~J (!) t·

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Review 0 tha Publication reflects it is published in Los " I' .

Angeles, Cal~orn • Tha I:lalling address is P.o. Box 5716. Los. Angeloso. \J i '

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CAhir ~Fufther review oithePub Cation indicates ~~1'~.fwritten for 1,1

ex Davia tes 0 ' I

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The Bureau's attention is d:!-rected to Pages 9 and 10 of the I l' I

cation. The article i,s- entitled "Are You Now or have you ever been ~ I . 1

Homosexual". The paragraph in question reads in P/l>rt as followsIT' An :.... I'. ',:

exam.ple T1ill help to llluetrate this. In one of our West Coast Citios, a ~ J '

ear or so ago, one of tha airlines companies employed tha FBI t9 do a ~ 1

thorough investigation of the private lives of its employees. A large ~ t

percent1ge of the office staff icr9 suspected of being homose~l. Called ~

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~ to face an investigetor !lnd managemen .. 'one at a t:ime, each, employee;<;as ""

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asked point blank n::Is J.t true you're a homosexual?J1I iihen several refused te p.

ewer without being g;ven definite proor of accusation, the FBI investigator 8. ' F

s:imply referred to tJie loY;Uty signed by the emploYee on his application . fOl'l:l I ,

',\~ and said, )IWill youre..at.t'1rm this oath?1t When tha victim. re-affirmed it, . l",

'i then he was smugly int:ormed that he had ;vaived his rights under the . ~i"i

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'i 1 constitution to ,refuse to answer concerning his alleged hol!1osexuality.-lto if '.;

'\ I Isuggested that evaluation. of the entire article, a :11[,

, J part of 11'ii!ch is quot1!d !lb(i)0ve indicates that the lU"iter of the article b: It

' at least is pro-communist kill;

, ':,,' Tho PU~ica.tiOn is enclosed f6r the Bursau's in!'ormat:l;~n. A ..

'_, ',. . "1 copy or this letter is designated for the Los'Angeles Office for it's f':

, ,rt information since the publioation is apparently published l'd.thin that f'l_,,~~;,;

r~ W' ~ Division. . '(r

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. " . ",.'~ , No investigation is being conducted by this office. -'

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[Last edited: November 30, 2012]