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Page 17 from the original typescript of Alex Haley’s 1963 interview of Malcolm X for Playboy magazine, one page, 8.5 x 11, signed "Malcolm X" in the bottom margin (with a marginal line indicating his approval of the contents). In full: [Malcolm X] “…beneath the ground. Expose the roots to the light and the tree dries up. The white man would like to expose our roots. But this is a tree that has been planted by Allah, by God himself. He sees to it that the roots grow deep, and they run everywhere. You might chop down the tree but you'll never get at the root.
[Haley] Most if not all of your members are Negroes who were born in this country, isn't that correct, and they now call themselves Muslims? Do you have any members at all who are from other nations, any from the East?
[Malcolm X] I couldn't say where all of our members are from, sir. We have many members that I am not aware of. But to us a Muslim means one who has submitted himself to the will of God, and the most submissive man to God on earth, by his nature, is the black man. Mr. Elijah Muhammad said that any black man, by his nature, is a Muslim at birth. There are many black men who are not yet aware we are offering their true religion. All black men will be Muslims when they wake up, that's what's meant by the resurrection.
[Haley] Is this 'resurrection' also the 'Armageddon' that you speak of in the Black Muslims? What does that mean. Are all white men supposed to be wiped out then?
[Malcolm X] The question of Armageddon should be referred to Mr. Muhammad. Armageddon deals with the final battle between God and the devil…” In very fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “NM - MT 8.”
Playboy's May 1963 interview with Malcolm X was one of the most famous of Haley’s career and gave most readers their first in-depth look at Malcolm X’s teachings and personality. Supporters and critics viewed the Muslim minister in very different terms. Admirers saw him as a courageous advocate for the rights of African-Americans and condemned crimes against black Americans; detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, and violence. Nevertheless, he has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African-American leaders in history. Within a year of granting this interview, with America still gripped by ever-growing racial tension, the once-combative black nationalist Malcolm X had repudiated almost every stance in the interview. He had broken with the Nation of Islam movement, fallen out with its leader, Elijah Muhammad, renounced black supremacy, and embraced racial equality and human rights. He was assassinated in Harlem in 1965.
The Marc and Mary Perkins Collection.
