Page from the original typescript of Alex Haley’s 1963 interview of Malcolm X for Playboy magazine, one page, 8.25 x 10.5, signed in the bottom margin (with a marginal line indicating his approval of the contents), “Malcolm X.” Haley’s historic interview provided for many Americans their first in-depth look at Malcolm X’s teachings and personality, and it remains a document of primary importance in understanding the still-controversial man and his philosophies. This portion of the interview (page 19) is notable for some particularly inflammatory observations on relations between the Nation of Islam and whites and for a notorious incident involving Malcolm X’s seeming happiness at the news of a fatal airplane crash. In part: “The white man isn’t important enough for the Honorable Elijah Muhammed and his followers to spend any time hating him. We have no feelings toward the white man whatsoever. In fact, we spend so much time loving black people we have no room left to hate whites. What I want to know is how can the white man with the blood of black people dripping off his fingers have the audacity to always be asking black people do they hate him? That takes a lot of nerve....” Haley then asks, “Probably few more vicious statements ever have been uttered than you personally did in the Los Angeles when you interrupted a speech to let the audience know that, you said, Allah had brought you the good news that a planeload of 120 Atlantans had crashed, with all of them killed, taking off from Paris.... Dr. Ralph Bunche heard of it, he called you ‘mentally depraved.’” Malcolm X responds: “He’s always got his international mouth open. He apologized in the U.N. when black people put up a protest there. You’ll notice that whenever the white man lets a black man get prominent, he has a job for him. Dr. Bunche serves the white man well, he represents, speaks for and defends the white man, he does none of this for black men. Dr. Bunche is a white man’s tool designed to influence international opinion on the Negro. The white man has Negro local tools, national tools, and R. Bunche is an international tool.” Matted and framed with a photo to an overall size of 25.25 x 20. Mild handling wear with a small marginal tear, otherwise fine, clean condition. Oversized. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
