The FBI Kill a Baby

In 1970, the FBI created the false story from a San Francisco-based informant, that the child Seberg was carrying was not fathered by her husband Romain Gary, but by a member of the Black Panther Party, Raymond Hewitt.

The story was reported by gossip columnist Joyce Haber of The Los Angeles Times.

The story was also printed by Newsweek magazine.

Seberg went into premature labor and, on August 23, 1970, she gave birth to a 4 lb (1.8 kg) baby girl.

The child died two days later.

She held an open casket funeral in her hometown to allow reporters to see the infant's white skin, to disprove the rumors that the child's father was African American.


Seberg and Romain later sued Newsweek for libel and defamation and asked for US$200,000 in damages. Seberg contended that she became so upset after reading the story, she went into premature labor which resulted in the death of her daughter.

A Paris court ordered Newsweek to pay the couple US$10,800 in damages and also ordered Newsweek to print the judgement in their publication plus eight other newspapers.