Derrick D. Cohens

The title of Jefferson Morley’s Newsweek article about Richard T. Gibson captures his predicament: “CIA Reveals Name of Former Spy in JFK Files—And He’s Still Alive.” Unafforded a posthumous reveal, Gibson meets his disclosure head-on by choosing to house his papers at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, a fitting place given his story. In researching the archives, the central question explored is how can we make space for those who have caused harm? The author/literary critic, black culturalist/black nationalist, and CIA spy are fused for Gibson. Unsoldering them allows us to look closer at their individual parts, providing a fresh approach to understanding Gibson’s place in literary and intellectual history.