"G-Man" by Beverly Gage (2022)

With its 59 pages of Notes covering each if its 58 chapters, and a 20 page Bibliography, this carefully researched biography of J. Edgar Hoover may be the best yet. It is the Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Biography, as well as the Winner of the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Award. 

The actual biographical portion spans over 750 pages and after a brief portion devoted to his years as a child, it dives into a decade by decade narrative of one of the most unusual lives of the 20th century. Both his presence and its impact are still felt today. 

From the years leading up to the First World War, the first Red Scare and the resultant Palmer Raids,  through the years of Prohibition and the Teapot Dome Scandal this is a book which  keeps on giving.

Sifting through every source available to the author, Ms. Gage has penned a biography which will surprise you in many ways. It overturns many assumptions made by previous authors on such issues as Hoover's stance on subjects from Japanese Internment Camps; he was against it; to his views on treating Jim Crow and Civil Rights in the same way he viewed Communism. In many ways this book is an eye opener.

And yet, when it comes to his refusal to accept the existence of a nationwide Organized Crime Syndicate, to his rocky relationship with the Kennedy's and his subsequent stonewalling of the Warren Commission, there are few surprises.

The most eye opening portions of this book, for me, involved the way President Johnson was able to get him to view the Civil Rights Struggle in the same way he had come to view Organized Crime and the Labor Racketeers as two sides of the same coin. They were all law breakers. 

His biggest errors are not ignored either. The Cointrel program, in which he justified the Agency's spying on the Civil Rights and Anti-War Movements, are treated as exactly what they were, an Overreach and Abuse of Power which has set the tone of the FBI through to the current day. The book offers no excuses. But it does provide explanations of how it evolved from its initial legitimacy to the rocky and suspect political bureaucracy it has become. 

There is much to be gleaned from this painstakingly researched biography. I have barely scraped the surface in this review. As the longest serving Director if the Bureau, 48 years, this is the story of a man who left his mark on Anerica, for better or for worse. And as such, it is a book well worth the reading.

"Dark Harbor" by Nathan Ward (2010) A Re-Review

When Arthur Miller won the Pulitzer Prize for his play “Death of a Salesman” in 1948 he said that the only other name on the list deserving of the Prize that year was Mike Johnson, a reporter for the New York Sun. Mr. Johnson’s series about crime on the waterfront would go on to inspire Bud Schulberg to write the iconic screenplay for “On the Waterfront” as well as Arthur Miller’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.” 

In this colorful and enjoyable history, Nathan Ward has brilliantly tied together the story of corruption along the New York waterfront of the 1930's through the 1950's with the iconic film "On the Waterfront." Utilizing the Pulitzer Prize winning series of articles by New York Sun reporter Malcom Johnson, Mr. Ward has pieced together the facts behind the thinly disguised fiction of the Elia Kazan film. Working with playwright Arthur Miller, and actor Marlon Brando, gave that film a reality that still has a bite, even now when viewed almost 60 years later.

The author takes the reader on a pier by pier journey through the corruption that ate away at the social fabrics of whole neighborhoods, gobbling up livelihoods, and often lives, as it swallowed the promise of the American Dream based on hard work.

The "shape-up", the humiliating practice of having men bribe, and beg, for a day’s work, is explored in detail. The real life characters that were the basis for the main players in "On the Waterfront" are all exposed here through the real life experiences of the working men, and their families, who were all victims to the thugs and organized criminal enterprises who ran the docks. There really were Johnny Friendly's and Kayo Dugan’s, just as there were real life Terry Malloy's, all caught up in the struggle to provide either pinky rings for themselves, or food and shelter for their families. There really was a Crime Commission investigating the labor practices along the waterfront, and witnesses were killed for testifying before them.

Of special interest in this book are the preparations for the filming of "On the Waterfront", with both Arthur Miller and Marlon Brando walking the streets of Red Hook, where the movie takes place, in order to capture the real feel of the time and place. Brando didn't think he could walk the streets unrecognized as Marlon Brando. Donning his costume, and carrying his cargo hook, he strode through the neighborhood, without raising an eyebrow. That's when he knew he was ready.

From Albert Anastasia, in the area of the Fulton Street Fish Market, to Charlie Yanowsky, in Jersey City, the cast of characters is colorful in this engaging book which chronicles the sordid history of New York's waterfront. In 1948 it was written that "the New York waterfront produces more murders per square foot than any other one section of the country."

"The Investigator" by Terry Lenzner (2013)

What began in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965 as a peaceful one day protest, degenerated into a 3 week odyssey that wound its way through the Courts and into the living rooms of all America. Terry Lenzner was there. He was a young, idealistic assistant attorney for the Justice Department who had just cut his teeth the year before on the murder of the 3 Civil Rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

With a clear and crisp style, Mr. Lenzner takes us on a journey through the decades of the Civil Rights Movement; with all its attendant violence and moral outrage; and on into the Watergate Affair and beyond. From his first work with Robert Kennedy’s Department of Justice, and on through his later work as an independent Legal Investigator, he has been a front row participant in much of the history of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The author defended the Berrigan Brothers for their ant-war activities, which were controversial to even those in the anti-war movement. His portrayal of the men, and their cause, were a bit of an eye opener for me, as the author paints a picture of the nuns and the brothers, taking communion with wine smuggled into the courtroom before the proceedings each day. It should be noted that Mr. Lenzner is Jewish. His account has changed my mind about the sincerity of the Berrigans, whom I considered to be a bit “over the top” in some of their actions. Although I still don’t condone the way they protested, I now understand their motivations more clearly.

I found the Watergate section of this book to be particularly interesting; and although Mr. Lenzner draws a slightly different conclusion than I do as to who started the chain of extortion which was at the heart of the Watergate Affair; the excitement of those times comes to life in his words. He is, after all, the first person to have ever subpoenaed a sitting U.S. President. And, in the end, both sides were the bad guys; with the CIA doing its level best to bring down the President by having him help cover up a botched burglary which he knew nothing of; and the President trying to blackmail the CIA with what he knew about Castro, the Bay of Pigs and even Dealey Plaza. It’s just a case of who was trying to screw the other one first, and more importantly; why?

The author has also represented the CIA’s “Dr. Death”; Sidney Gottlieb; an expert in poisons and the man most responsible for the suicide death of Dr. Frank Olson, who jumped from his room at the Statler Hotel in New York on November 28, 1953. Gottlieb’s testimony was instrumental in shedding light on the American government’s use of mind altering drugs to achieve “parity” with the Soviets, who were ahead of us at the time in this area of espionage during the Church Committee Hearings into the operations of the CIA and the MK-ULTRA program. Although the author seemed impressed with Dr. Gottlieb, this reader sees him more for what he was; a monster. Although his motivations may have been pure, his actions were monstrous. But, in the end, he was given immunity in exchange for his testimony.

When Mr. Lenzner moves into the private sector he finds no shortages of clients to serve. When the Mugar family of Boston wanted to purchase the RKO TV station, Channel 7, in Boston they faced a huge hurdle. They had to prove it was in the public’s best interest to have license transferred from General tire, the entity which held title to it at the time, to the Mugar family.

The only way to do that was for Mr. Lenzner to travel to Mexico in search of 2 disgruntled employees of General Tire who had been forced into retirement for their part in a scheme which made the company a lot of money, but got them fired and exiled to Mexico, where they could presumably avoid prosecution.

Carefully courting the 2 former mid-level executives produced a boatload of information involving foreign bank accounts used as political slush funds, as well as skimming of profits from one company to another. Armed with these revelations, Mr. Lenzner was able to successfully make the case for a change in the license. The Mugar family now owned Channel 7 in Boston.

From Civil Rights and Watergate, to his work on the Alaskan pipeline, and the investigations into Princess Diana's death, the Swift Boating of John Kerry, and even the Monica Lewinsky Affair, Mr. Lenzner has been in the forefront of just about every major headline making case in the latter half of the 20^th Century. And, aside from Civil Rights and Watergate, many of those cases have had at least an indirect effect on all of us as citizens.

His career is storied and his path has been, at times, arduous. But the results he has attained; both in the form of his accomplishments, as well as the formation of his company, Investigative Group International; have always been the result of a deep seated belief in the proverbial “little guy.” And, who could ask for a better legacy than that?

"Undercover Cop" by Mike Russell (2013)

Take all of the wise guys in all of the movies you have ever seen and put them in one place, and then you will have an idea of what this book is like. If it weren't true, it would be comical in the way that Jimmy Breslin’s “The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight” was. The sad part is that this book is all true and represents several years of Mr. Russell working undercover, using his own name as a disgraced cop, in order to ingratiate himself with the local mob in New Jersey, comprised of the Lucchese family and their interactions with the five families that make up the mob in the New York area.

In a world were one wrong word can tip your hand in the wrong direction, Mr. Russell operates under his real name, working as an oil delivery man while looking to make an inroad with the local crew. A “chance” mugging provides the opportunity for him to “save” a mob Don from harm and helps to usher him into the inner circles of the leading crime families in New York and New Jersey. At one point he is even shot and left for dead in an alley, before making a remarkable comeback as a “stand up guy” entrusted by the very people who tried to kill him. Talk about method acting!

The toll taken on the author, and his family, was immense. At times he did not see his wife and kids for weeks at a time, straining a wonderful marriage. More than once during the investigation he was sure that he was never going to get to see them again.

Mr. Russell takes the time to carefully explain many of the mob’s rules and rituals, which provide a sort of window into the minds of these “wise guys” who have become like celebrities thanks to movies and television.

From garbage collection to cargo heists at the Port of New Jersey, this book shines a light on just how far, and how deeply entrenched, the mob has become in our everyday lives, affecting the price of just about everything you purchase.

Filled with tense situations; as well as comical ones, which have to be real simply because no one could be so stupid; this book moves at lightning speed. But, when all is through, and the government pulls the plug on the investigation, what happens to the men and women who have put years of their lives and mental stability on the line? 

In Mr. Russell’s case, he approached a major TV newsman while the investigation was still ongoing. Together they created a real life, real time documentary about an ongoing criminal investigation of the mob. It was the first of its kind.

Mr. Russell has gone on to further fame with his series “Mob Cop”. You can learn more about the author and his exploits on his website which is located at;

http://mikerussellmobcop.com/

"Mafia Summit" by Gil Reavill (2013)

Depending on where you lived in America prior to 1957 determined what you called the mafia. In Los Angeles it was the “Combination”; Chicago had the “Fix”; New York had the “Mob”; and everyone knew they were connected. That is, everyone but J. Edgar Hoover, who didn’t admit the Mafia even existed until after the release of the Valachi papers in the early 1960’s. And since Valachi referred to the syndicate as La Costra Nostra, or, “This Thing of Ours”; rather than the Mafia; Hoover still insisted that he was right. There was no Mafia. Essentially, Hoover saved America from the Communists, but in doing so,  gave it to the mob.

Gil Reavill has done a superb job in researching, as well as writing, this detailed history of the mob in America, while telling the story behind the infamous Apalachin Conference in 1957 and the repercussions which evolved from that incident.

New York State Trooper Sergeant Edgar Croswell had been keeping an eye on local resident Joe Barbara for years. Their first encounter involved gas siphoning during the last days of the Second World War. But when Sgt. Croswell noticed an assemblage of high priced, late model automobiles; dozens of them; parked at Mr. Barbara’s home one morning in November of 1957, he ran the plates, and changed the course of the history of the mob in America. He also shook up J. Edgar Hoover’s little fiefdom, which had been busy chasing Communists for so long that they didn’t even have a clue about this organized  criminal element, and how far they had penetrated our very own government.

Along with the story of the Summit the author has also told the story of the syndicates in the various cities across America and how they became united. Tracing the mob wars back to the Castellammarese clan he draws a clear picture of how the power struggles of the past led to a nation-wide criminal organization which held ownership in legitimate businesses; using the profits to buy politicians and evade the law for decades.

The first real mob “convention” took place in 1928 in Cleveland. It was held at the Statler Hotel for the express purpose of deciding who controlled what territories. This was a result of the Castellammarese ‘war”. The meeting was called by Joseph Porrello, also known as the Sugar Baron. That meeting was broken up before any real progress could be made, but is acknowledged as the first summit of its kind.

The next time the mob held a meeting was in 1929 in Atlantic City. That meeting was spoofed in the hit movie “Some Like It Hot”, with many of the characters bearing similar, if not exact nicknames of the mobsters who attended the conference.

After that was the 1931 meeting held in Chicago at the Congress Hotel. This meeting was held to codify national commission to settle disputes.  By 1946 the mob leaders met again in Havana to discuss the new business of trafficking in heroin. Present at that meeting were Albert Anastasia, Vito Genovese and the newly freed; and deported; Lucky Luciano, who flew into Cuba from Italy with a fake passport.

One of the most interesting parts of this book was how far into our everyday life the mob had gone. Take a bottle of soda as an example. The main ingredient was sugar, and as such, it was a valuable commodity, ripe for manipulation. Cuba was important not only for gambling and drugs, but sugar as well. When Castro took over in the late 1950’s, we lost our sugar holdings, which affected the price of a bottle of soda for millions of Americans.

One of the reasons we went to such great lengths to overthrow Castro was sugar, which was vital to the still thriving, tax free bootleg liquor industry in America. Local bootleggers could not simply buy a thousand pounds of sugar locally without arousing suspicion. It had to be bought on the black market, which is where the mob came into play. The price of sugar rose drastically after Castro took over, and cost the mob a tremendous amount of money in lost profits here at home as well as in the casinos in Havana.

The story of the Summit at Apalachin on November 14, 1957 is well known. The images of mobsters, dressed in expensive suits, running through the late fall woods, slipping and sliding in their pointed toes shoes is a part of our culture. But the story behind the officer who precipitated the raid, and the light which was shed upon the existence of the mob in America, is a story that has never really been told in such detail as by Mr. Reavill. His attention to the details of the history leading up to the Apalachin Summit; as well as the results of exposing the connections of the various crime families in America; is fascinating and informative.

With an appendix listing the names and details of the various bosses, coupled with a chapter by chapter section of notes; along with an extensive bibliography; make this a lively and educational read for anyone interested in the history behind all of the movies about organized crime in America. 

“Kill the Irishman” with Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken (2011)

 

In this gritty story based upon the true life exploits of gangster Danny Greene,played by Ray Stevenson, an Irish immigrant who worked on the docks in Cleveland during the early 1970’s. The old “pay to work” racket was rampant, with men routinely passed over for work in rotation if they did not pay a “kickback” to the bosses who ran the hiring. The times, as well as the environment of the waterfront, soon convinced Danny to take action on his own, taking over his local and putting himself squarely at odds with a local loan shark named Shondor Birns, played with the usual coolness of Christopher Walken.

In order to battle the forces at the disposal of Birns; who made the bulk of his money through the “pay for work” scheme; Danny is forced to make an alliance with local gangster John Nardi, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, in a role with much more depth than any of his work on the “Law and Order” television series. Danny and John blaze their way across the waterfront, taking on the gangsters who control it, only to try and control it themselves.

With the government attempting to turn him into an informant; something which he refused to do; and the mob trying to assassinate him, blow him up, and otherwise do away with him; Danny is caught between the forces of good and evil, where he finds that the two are not always dissimilar with one another.

I was living in Cleveland at the time that some of these events took place. There was almost never a day that went by in which someone got killed on; or disappeared from; the waterfront. Though Danny Greene’s story has been legendary amongst the union hiring hall for decades; this is the first movie about the legendary and seemingly indestructible Danny Greene. Tightly written and directed by Johnathan Heinsleigh, this is one movie which will keep you in your seat for the entire film without ever wanting to take a break. Val Kilmer and Paul Servino, along with Linda Cardellini all turn in great performances in this film which rivals “Goodfellas” in almost every respect. And that alone is high praise indeed.

___________________________________________

 Overseas Reymar Meets the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

This TV video shows the Overseas Reymar on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, shortly after it struck the westernmost  support of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. As a former navigator on oil tankers, all I can say is that it never would have happened on my watch!

"The Mob and Me" by John Partington and Arlene Violet

John Partington is one of the original founders of the Witness Protection Program. Along with former Attorney General Arlene Violet, he has written a book that is at once, both historically accurate, and very insightful. The book takes you beyond the world shown in films such as "Goodfellas", where the bad guys are the heroes, and shows what it is like when things don't go right for members of organized crime.

Mr. Partington's experience begins in the mid 1960's, working as a U.S. Marshall. It was in this position that he first encountered Robert F. Kennedy, who was a strong believer in getting mobsters to "roll" on one another. The Witness Protection Program became the vehicle which would drive that effort. With promises of protection, money, housing and even jobs, the program almost became a retirement plan for some of the nation's worst criminals.

By dangling bits of information in front of the Feds, the mobsters learned quickly how to play the "Program", just as they had learned to "fix" the gambling in Vegas.

This is an insightful look at the other side of organized crime, taking the reader into the lives of the families of the mobsters. The price that they pay, in lost relations, normal childhoods and freedom are enormous. But there is another side to this book as well.

What toll is taken on the family of the agents involved in this program? How do the wives, and children, of the agents involved, deal with the long absences required of this highly unusual job?

From Joe Valachi, Bob Leuci (Prince of the City) to John Dean and Howard Hunt of the Watergate Affair, the author fills his account with some unforgettable characters. And one of the most important things which the reader takes away from this book is that the Criminals and Marshalls are but two sides of one coin. By that I mean, that though their goals may be totally different, the problems they face in their personal lives are too often the same.

"The Tin Roof Blowdown" by James Lee Burke

One of the attractions of reading a book by James Lee Burke are the links to history which he provides. These, in turn make the story more real in the telling and inform the reader, giving his novels relevancy and keeping the reader thirsty for the next dot to connect. “The Tin Roof Blowdown”, released after Hurricane Katrina, while I was immersed in non-fiction, is a stunning tapestry, woven of history, timeless crime, human greed, government indifference to the people, and did I mention that it’s a great crime novel to boot?

With his usual cast of characters, including the loveable Clete Purcel, the introspective Dave Robicheaux, his daughter Alafair, and her pet raccoon, Mr. Burke takes on a tremendously complex disaster, creating at the same time, a compelling mystery. I should add that Mr. Burke resides in New Iberia Parish, next door to New Orleans. This undoubtedly gives the book a sense of realism impossible to capture in any other fashion.

Another aspect of Mr. Burke’s Dave Robicheaux series of novels is the continuity of the characters. What I mean is that as the reader gets older, so do his characters. This helps the reader identify with the characters and in some cases, where the reader’s life experiences may be similar with them, it can lend a stark reality to the book.

The storyline is simple enough. As Hurricane Katrina bears down on New Orleans, several lives, seemingly unconnected on the surface, are about to collide amidst one of the largest natural disasters to ever hit the United States.

There is the Baylor family, still struggling to come to terms with the rape of their 15 year old daughter, Thelma, at the hands of street thugs. Otis Baylor is an insurance salesman. He is also a self styled vigilante, but is his mouth bigger than his actual abilities? With the storm closing in, and looters prowling without, we may learn the answer.

Then there is the Kovick household. Sydney and his wife Eunice are owners of a very successful flower shop. Sydney is involved in organized crime, but how deep do his ties run? When his house is broken into during the Evacuation, large sums of money are found by the vandals smashing his walls and tearing out his ceilings. Without the Police to call, how far will Sydney go to recover the money?

Then there are the Melancon brothers and their sidekick Andre. The two brothers are wanted on Federal Warrants, but all three may be the street thugs who raped Otis Baylor’s daughter. When one is crippled by sniper fire, and another killed, outside Mr. Baylor’s home, the Police are sure he did the crime. Or did he?

And lost in the story is the heroin addicted Priest, Jude Le Blanc. He goes missing in the height of the storm as he struggles to cut a hole in the roof of a church where people are trapped in the attic, about to drown. Both the Priest and the boat disappear and the people do drown. But who took the boat and how is it connected to the Baylor’s and Kovick’s lives?

When you pick up one of Mr. Burke’s books, he has written about 30, and won the Edgar Award twice, you are transported to the jungle that is the real world. His insights into the human condition and the individual psyche make his books both a lesson in our shortcomings as people, while at the same time telling a very compelling story.

You might say that Mr. Burke and I are both stuck in a rut; he keeps on writing great novels. And I keep on reading them, although sometimes several years after the fact.

"L.A. Noir" by John Buntin

This book is a real page turner. Los Angeles has a very colorful and sordid history. From the 1920's through the 1960's is like one big film noir story.

In this book Mr. Buntin explores that history and the characters involved in the making of the legend that Los Angeles has become. This story involves Bugsy Seigel, Mickey Cohen, Clark Clifford, Billy Graham and a host of others. The Billy Graham-Mickey Cohen connection is truly amazing all by itself. The whole book is one long narrative of how crime, vice, politics and religion play such a large role in our daily lives. In this case the connection of these forces shaped the direction of a major city.

If you have ever seen the movie "LA Confidential" you will be amazed at how much of that movie was taken from real life. "Bloody Christmas" really did happen in 1951 Los Angeles. This was a time when people left bottles of whiskey on the corner for the police to pick up for the annual holiday bash at Central Division.

Illegal wiretapping, beatings, prostitution and gambling are the mainstays of Organized Crime and Los Angeles is determined to keep Organized Crime out of the city. They had their own "Combination" going and wanted no competition. The battle was on for control of the city and its' criminal enterprises.

With the advent of the Kefauver Committee in the 1950's Robert Kennedy enters upon the scene as counsel for the hearings. This role helps pave the way for his brother John's Presidential run in 1960. And Los Angeles would be the site of that years Democratic Convention. It is also the city where Robert Kennedy would be killed in 1968 at the height of his own Presidential campaign.

There is a scene in the movie "Mulholland Falls" in which Nick Nolte and his fellow detectives take an out of town hood and throw him off a cliff. If it seemed far fetched in the film- it wasn't. In real life it actually happened- more than once.

The book is gritty and carries the tension of the struggle between law enforcement and the Mob on every page. The personal peculiarities of Mickey Cohen and his henchman make dramatic and sometimes amusing reading.

The book is extensive and follows the history of crime in Los Angeles from the 1930's through the racially charged times of the Watts Riots in 1965 and beyond. It is well written and has an extensive bibliography. And through this book I have learned that Mickey Cohen wrote an autobiography. You can be sure I will be reading that one!