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Elijah Muhammad fully understands that wide publicity is extremely necessary for the continuation of the NOI. Though he and his ministers appear before the public frequently to promote NOI teachings--on radio and television, at rallies and feasts, and at the annual conventions--Elijah has long felt the written word could reach "so-called Negroes" who would not attend public functions. Also, he has not overlooked the fact that this method of spreading his "message of Truth" brings in considerable revenue.

A. Publications

Beginning in early 1956, Elijah arranged for a column, under his by-line, entitled "Mr. Muhammad Speaks" to appear regularly in the weekly Negro newspaper, the Pittsburgh "Courier." Immediately, selling papers became one of the most important of the cult's programs. In temples throughout the country, NOI members were given quotas for the number of these papers they were required to buy and resell. By the Summer of 1959, however, Elijah's attempts to dictate the paper's policy caused a conflict with the publisher, and his column was dropped. NOI then switched its hawking activity to another Negro weekly, the Los Angeles "Herald-Dispatch," which also had been printing Elijah's column and other NOI news.