# Tamm memorandum on Drew Pearson's inquiry about Capone's anticipated death (25 January 1947)

Canonical: https://mobfiles.org/items/fbi-vault-capone-p31-pearson-inquiry-memo-1947/

Edward A. Tamm tells Hoover that columnist Drew Pearson telephoned for 'color' about the anticipated death of Al Capone, and that he gave Pearson the Bureau's write-up of the 1929–31 contempt case.

Part 31 of the FBI Vault's Capone file, scan 66. A United States Government "Office Memorandum" (Standard Form No. 64) to the Director from "Mr. Edw. A. Tamm", dated January 25, 1947, with the initials EAT:IMG. It is stamped 69-180-160 and marked "Attachment".

The full text reads: "Drew Pearson telephoned and inquired for 'color' that he might use in connection with the anticipated death of Al Capone. I furnished Mr. Pearson with the general information as contained in the attached interesting case write-up emphasizing the fact that the Bureau was the first agency to secure Capone's conviction in the Federal Court. I furnished him the date and background of the contempt proceedings against him." The text was read from the page image stored here.

The "interesting case write-up" is the Bureau's narrative on Capone's contempt of court, dated January 7, 1933, of which several copies are filed in the same part (scans 9 to 14, 20 to 26 and 67 to 71). The memorandum is dated the same day as the death that the Bureau's 1964 reply (Part 21) gives as January 25, 1947, at Palm Island, Miami. The memorandum itself speaks of the death only as "anticipated" and is not a death record.

## Sources

- FBI Records: The Vault: https://vault.fbi.gov/Al%20Capone/Al%20Capone%20Part%2031/view
- FBI Vault: Al Capone (file index): https://vault.fbi.gov/Al%20Capone