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IN RE: ALEISTER CROWLEY
Federal Bureau of Investigation Report
Report made by: Frank X. O'Donnell
Place where made: N.Y. City
Period for which made: July 8th [1919]
Date when made: July 17th, 1919
In Re: Aleister Crowley (Radical Activities) [Case:] 365985
Copy of this report furnished to: Radical Division, N.Y. Office.
This office was in receipt of a letter from the Acting Chief of the Bureau, initialed DMD, under date of June 6th, 1919, containing the photostat copy of an anonymous letter, which complains that the above named subject, residing at 1 University Place, this city is a man of dangerous radical type and should be carefully investigated.
Acting under instructions of Assistant Supt. Baker, I today commenced an investigation of subject's activities. The following is a copy of a confidential report received today from the British Secret Service Bureau, having to do with Crowley's activities.
July 8th, 1919.
ALESTAIR CROWLEY.
The above came to the attention of the police in 1900, when he held a series of meetings at which so-called mystic rites were performed and at which improper activities were alleged to have occurred. These meetings were held in London, and he had devoted most of his time before coming to this country to the same pursuits which every now and again caused the police in England to investigate him.
Since Crowley has been in America, he has claimed to be on a British Mission, whereas he left his own country because he feared arrest. He joined George Sylvester Viereck, latterly editing the publication known as "The International".
In July 1915, Crowley, one Leilah Waddell, J. Orr, an editor, Patrick Gilroy, an agitator, and several others, went to the Statue of Liberty. They described themselves as members of "The Secret Revolutionary Committee of Public Safety of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic". They announced they were going to declare Ireland's independence. Crowley took the lead by tearing up his passport, and after reading a lengthy, strange, incoherent document, he renounced allegiance to the "alien tyrant", and took an oath to fight to the last drop of his blood for Ireland. An Irish flag was hoisted.
In June 1917 a so-called lodge in rooms at No. 93 Regent Street, London, which was kept on during the absence of Crowley by one Mary Davis [Mary Davies], was raided and the David woman arrested.
The Attorney-General of the State of New York caused Crowley to be examined in the Murray Hill Hotel on October 11th, 1918.
Crowley is distinctly fond of appearing in print, and when he does do tells his interrogators for the newspapers that he was wounded and came here on a special mission. He has never been in the army and could be detained if he returned to England.
His claim has also been that he joined up with Viereck in order to obtain information for the British government. This is of course absurd. He is at present living at No. 16 or No. 60 Washington Place and is supposed to have started a so-called "Ordo Templi Orientis", of which he claims he is a grand master, in Fifth Avenue.
Crowley has written a lot of queer books and poems. He is about 46 years old and is a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Investigation will be continued.
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