>> Sreenivasan: THIS PAST FRIDAY
MARKED THE 55th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE ASSASSINATION OF CIVIL
RIGHTS ACTIVIST MALCOLM X.
THE 39-YEAR-OLD WAS SHOT AND
KILLED WHILE SPEAKING AT THE
AUDUBON BALLROOM IN NEW YORK
CITY.
THREE MEMBERS OF THE NATION OF
ISLAM WERE LATER CONVICTED OF
HIS MURDER, BUT THERE HAVE LONG
BEEN DOUBTS SURROUNDING HIS
DEATH.
A NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES ON
NETFLIX, "WHO KILLED MALCOLM X"
REVEALS NEW FINDINGS AND IS
RAISING NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS
MURDER.
NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE
FELICIANO SPOKE WITH DIRECTOR
AND SERIES PRODUCER PHIL
BERTELSEN AND SERIES HISTORIAN
ABDUR-RAHMAN MUHAMMAD.
>> Reporter: PHIL BERTELSON,
ABDUL RAHMAN-MUHAMMED, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
>> Reporter: SO FIRST OFF,
BEFORE WATCHING THIS SERIES, I
HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WERE SO
MANY QUESTIONS SURROUNDING
MALCOLM X'S MURDER.
CAN YOU BRIEFLY OUTLINE SOME OF
THE HOLES IN THE STORY OF HIS
KILLING AND WHAT PROMPTED THIS
SERIES COMING TOGETHER?
THE PRODUCTION OF THIS?
>> WELL, EVER SINCE 1966, WHEN
THREE MEN WERE CONVICTED FOR THE
ASSASSINATION OF MALCOLM X,
SCHOLARS HAVE ALWAYS QUESTIONED
THE SOUNDNESS, THE VALIDITY OF
THAT VERDICT FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING.
>> THERE MIGHT WELL BE ONE OF
THE ASSASSINS STILL OUT THERE
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT, GONE
UNPUNISHED, UNQUESTIONED AND
PROTECTED TO A CERTAIN DEGREE
FROM, FROM PROSECUTION.
>> Reporter: AND, YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE AN INDEPENDENT HISTORIAN,
BUT THIS HAPPENED DECADES AGO
AND YOU'VE SPENT THE BETTER PART
OF YOUR LIFE RESEARCHING THE
TRUTH BEHIND MALCOLM X'S
ASSASSINATION.
>> YES, CORRECT.
>> Reporter: MANY PEOPLE TOLD
YOU TO DROP IT.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE TOLD ME TO
DROP IT.
>> Reporter: SO WHY WAS THAT SO
CENTRAL TO YOU, SPECIFICALLY AS
AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSLIM?
>> WELL, BECAUSE I FELT A SENSE
OF RESPONSIBILITY.
AS I MOVED ALONG I ACCUMULATED
MORE AND MORE FACTS AND
INFORMATION REGARDING THE CASE.
AND IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME VERY
EARLY ON THAT, YOU KNOW, IF I
DIDN'T CONTINUE, IT WASN'T GOING
TO BE DONE.
JAY EDGAR HOOVER, THE
DIRECTOR OF THE F.B.I., WAS
DEFINITELY AFRAID OF SOMEONE
LIKE MALCOLM X.
YOU KNOW, WE WOULD HAVE NEVER
BEEN ABLE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF THE STORY BECAUSE THIS TYPE
OF CASE INVOLVES DOCUMENTATION
AND INTERVIEWS.
YOU HAD TO GO OUT INTO THE FIELD
AND TALK TO PEOPLE.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU
COULD SOLVE MERELY BY STUDYING.
YOU DON'T SEE DECLASSIFIED
DOCUMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WIRETAPS.
YOU HAD TO GO OUT AND TALK TO
PEOPLE WHO WERE STILL ALIVE, YOU
KNOW.
AND ONCE THAT GENERATION PASSED
AWAY, THE STORY WOULD HAVE BEEN
LOST FOREVER.
>> IN THE 1960's, THE F.B.I.
LAUNCHED ONE OF THE BIGGEST
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS
IN ITS ENTIRE HISTORY.
>> BLACK PEOPLE EVERYWHERE TODAY
ARE BETTER WITH THE HYPOCRISY
PRACTICED BY WHITES.
>> AND THEY KEPT A VERY CLOSE
WATCH ON BROTHER MALCOLM.
>> AND IF SOMETHING ISN'T DONE,
THEN I'M AFRAID THAT YOU WILL
HAVE A RACIAL EXPLOSION.
>> Reporter: DID YOU GET ANY
PUSHBACK FROM FOLKS IN THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSLIM
COMMUNITY OR LOCAL AND FEDERAL
AUTHORITIES?
ARE THERE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T WANT
THIS SERIES MADE?
>> FOR SURE.
I MEAN, THE FACT REMAINS THAT
SOME OF THE ANSWERS THAT WE'RE
SEEKING IN THIS STORY ARE ONES
THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT OTHERS
TO KNOW.
AND SO, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE
HAD TO PUSH HARDER, BE MORE
PERSUASIVE IN OUR ARGUMENT IN
ORDER TO GET THOSE ANSWERS, YOU
KNOW, SHOULD SAY EVERYTHING
THERE IS TO BE SAID ABOUT WHY
THIS HAS BEEN A WIDELY HELD
SECRET FOR GENERATIONS NOW.
AND WE GO INTO THE FACT THAT
IT'S NOT JUST ONE MAN WHO KILLED
MALCOLM X, BUT, YOU KNOW, A KIND
OF COMPLICITY ON THE PART OF
GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITIES AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT AS WELL.
AND THOSE ARE ENTITIES THAT
DON'T LIKE TO BE EXPOSED.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO TRY TO
PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER AND IN
ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE AN
ARGUMENT AS TO WHO KILLED
MALCOLM X.
>> Reporter: AND SO WHAT CAN
AUDIENCES EXPECT TO LEARN FROM
THIS SERIES?
DO YOU ACTUALLY ANSWER THAT
QUESTION OF WHO KILLED MALCOLM
X?
>> YES, WE DO.
IT'S REALLY PULLED BACK THE VEIL
ON THIS HISTORIC CRIME, THAT WAS
REALLY AN OPEN WOUND, REALLY IN
NOT JUST THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITY, BUT THE WORLD
COMMUNITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDAMENTAL
UNDERSTANDING OF WHO PULLED THAT
SHOTGUN, WHO WERE INVOLVED.
YES, WE ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
>> I THINK WE GO BEYOND THAT
QUESTION AS WELL.
I THINK WE NOT ONLY LOOK AT WHO
KILLED MALCOLM X, BUT WHO
DIDN'T.
AND WHO WAS MALCOLM X IS ALSO A
BIG PART OF THE STORY.
I THINK IF YOU BEGIN TO ASK
YOURSELF THAT QUESTION, WHO
KILLED HIM?
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY.
YOU KNOW, WHAT DID HE REPRESENT
THAT MADE HIM SUCH A THREAT THAT
CAUSED SO MANY FORCES TO ALIGN
AGAINST HIM.
>> YOU SEEM TO BE DISSATISFIED
WITH EVERYTHING.
JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT?
>> I'M NOT DISSATISFIED WITH
EVERYTHING.
I'M JUST TELLING YOU THAT THE
NEGROES THEMSELVES WOULD TAKE
WHATEVER STEPS NECESSARY TO
DEFEND THEMSELF.
>> HE WAS A POWERFUL,
GALVANIZING FIGURE FOR MANY.
AND HE POSED A THREAT TO THE
STATUS QUO IN SUCH A WAY THAT
PEOPLE FELT HE HAD TO BE
ELIMINATED.
SO YOU LEARN A LOT ABOUT MALCOLM
YOU MAY NOT HAVE ALREADY KNOWN.
AND YOU ALSO LEARN THAT TWO MEN,
IT'S OUR BELIEF, WENT TO PRISON
FOR 20 YEARS FOR A CRIME THEY
DID NOT COMMIT.
THIS CRIME.
AND AS A RESULT OF THE WORK THAT
WE DID IN THE SERIES AND THE
EVIDENCE THAT WE SHOW, THE
MANHATTAN D.A.'S OFFICE HAS
DECIDED TO TAKE A PRELIMINARY
LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT THIS CASE
IS WORTH REOPENING.
>> Reporter: PHIL BERTELSON.
ABDUL RAHKMAN-MUHAMMED, THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> OH, THANK YOU, SO MUCH.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING US, A
PLEASURE.
