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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 18th [1919]
Date when made: July 28th, 1919
In Re: Aleister Crowley (Radical Activities) [Case:] 365985
Copy of this report furnished to: Radical Division, N.Y. Office.
Spent some time today in an examination of the files submitted to me by Mr. Simon of the Attorney General's Office of New York State. In said file I found the following information of a British source, concerning Crowley and which amplifies that contained in my report for July 8th:
Crowley has never had anything whatever to do with any British official in this country. His offers of service have always been rejected, and he has been regarded as a harmless neurotic. He was never taken seriously even in his efforts against his native country. It was known by the police and others that anything Crowley, and those associated with him did, could not sway any honest or clean opinion. His allegation that he was doing something for his Government while working for George Sylvester Viereck is absurd, as Crowley freely criticised his own country to help himself financially as soon as he landed in America. He found sympathy among the renegade Irish, and those of the Glan-Na-Gael or Sinn Fein element.
An article published in the New York "World" on August 2nd, 1914, gives a fair idea of Crowley and an alleged Black Mass which was celebrated by him in London. In the same paper in December 1914, Crowley denied that he had hypnotised the newspaper-man who wrote it.
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 Irish Independence. An Irish flag was hoisted at this ridiculous ceremony.
Crowley wrote an article in the "Rheinisch Westfalisch Zeitung" purporting to describe a visit to England eighteen months or two years after the War started, and following his stay in America. The article was a reflection on English morale, and conditions in England, and yet it was known that Crowley had never returned to England since he set foot on American soil.
Crowley, as the head of his so-called Lodge, had rooms at No. 93 Regent Street, London. In June 1917, this place was raided, and a Mary Davis [Mary Davies] was arrested as a fortune-teller.
Incidentally, Crowley claims that he became connected with Viereck through a man on a 'bus. His story is:—
To be continued.
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