Shocker. The FBI suspected far left ’60 Minutes’ host Mike Wallace of being a communist sympathizer.
Not overlooked: The FBI revealed that it had kept records on late ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Mike Wallace, center, and looked into a trip he took to Cuba. (Daily Mail)
The Daily Mail reported:
The U.S. Federal Investigation Bureau released records it was keeping on celebrated journalist and late ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent Mike Wallace, who died on April 7, 2012, at the age of 93.
The files include a look into whether Wallace was involved in communist activities as well as an investigation of a threatening letter sent to him by an emotionally disturbed World War II veteran titled ‘Communist Control of the Press.’
Wallace, late ’60 Minutes’ creator Don Hewitt and three others took a trip to Cuba in the summer of 1970 to document the country, according to the files.
The group departed from Mexico with 22 pieces of luggage weighing about 770 pounds and returned with 26 pieces of luggage weighing about 904 pounds. An educated guess would be Cuban cigars, other souvenirs or additional camera tape from the embargoed island.
Wallace, who was 52 at the time, was not discovered to be a communist member or sympathizer.
A separate investigation into a bizarre and threatening letter from April 4, 1977, identified the sender as Donald P. Hale — a disabled World War II veteran and a former prisoner of war.
‘I have solid proof that you are a pro-communist anti-American traitor,’ the letter reads. ‘We will expose you, convict you, and hang you.’
Hale’s letter also includes references to his dog puking on the rug and ‘piddling’ in Wallace’s eye through the television screen.
They should have expanded their investigation to include the rest of the media
Not "stunning" to me. And as to this: Wallace, who was 52 at the time, was not discovered to be a communist member or sympathizer. Yeah, probably not a Party member but not a sumpathizer? Of that I am not so sure.