james weldon, johnson, garvey and randolph chose not to sign the fateful open letter on january 12, 1923, to the u.s. attorney general asking the justice department to use, quote, full influences completely to disband and extri pate this vicious garvey movement, a signal that hoover's agents almost certainly suggested useful to speed up the lagging trial for mail fraud. but there could be no question th the eight signatories of the open letter represented the spectrum of talented tenth leadership, the publisher of the chicago defender, senior officers of the niacp, harlem's leader realtor and johnson's brother-in-law, businessman and dubois protege, on february 16, carl murphy influence shl and highly respected publisher of afro american newspaper followed up with an editorial asking attorney general harry dougherty to explain the government's delay. garvey's trial, conviction, sentence and expulsion from the united states was accomplished to the mutual satisfaction and relief of the people who were surveilled and those who surveilled them. j. edgar hoover was the unintended and unacknow