Marilyn Monroe publicity shot. Photo: Wiki Commons

A newly released FBI file reveals that a source told the agency that Marilyn Monroe’s wedding to the playwright Arthur Miller was a ‘cover-up.’ The Jewish ceremony was, according to the source cited by the FBI, an attempt by Monroe to deceive the public about her communist ties.

The redacted document reveals that on July 11, 1956, an anonymous male caller phoned the Daily News to report that the actress’s company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, was ‘filled with communists’ and that money from the company was being used to finance communist activities. The FBI was tipped off to the call.

According to the caller Miller “was still a member of the CP (communist party) and was their cultural front man.”

Monroe’s star power, and fears she might be recruited by the Communist Party during the tenure of longtime FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, led to reports being taken on her activities and relationships.

Monroe’s file starts in 1955 and focuses on her travels and associations in attempts to identify leftist views and possible ties to communism. The file continues up until the months before her death, and includes several news stories and references to Norman Mailer’s biography of the actress, which focused on questions about whether Monroe was killed by the government.