With his new cap (which he was later depicted wearing in a portrait on the cover of Time), Kefauver was elected to the U.S. Senate and assumed office at a time when newspapers were beginning to report on extensive political corruption and government ties to organized crime. 1735-1990) Part 7 (pp. Up next was Reno Police chief Lawrence Russell Greeson, who had investigated New Jersey gambling figure Joseph Doc Stacher. Never mind that newsreel cameras captured Costellos entire face and body as he spokethe highlights of which were shown on newscasts later that evening. In Chicago, the committee heard testimony from gangsters who confessed to using legitimate business interests to curry favor with local law enforcement. This starts with some letters from a couple of organizations that did not testify but were asked for their opinions. Public Relations Courthouse in Foley Square. The American Mafia - Kefauver Report #1 - Aug. 18, 1950 First Interim Report U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce Kefauver Menu Interim Report #2 81ST CONGRESS 2d Session REPORT No. Hauser soon after hopped on a plane and fled the country to evade a tax evasion charge by the Internal Revenue Service. The Senate responded, extending support for the investigation to September 1, 1951. Other accumulations of mail have been sorted by function (e.g., condolences) or by location of correspondent (eg., Tennessee county, international, et cetera. Halley asked Jones if he knew Meyer Lansky. This guide will point you to publications of the United States Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) available online and in libraries. William Gaines is interviewed quite a bit for them. 1991-2578) Part 8 (pp. Chapter 4: Investigation United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency Then Kefauver headed north to San Francisco, uncovering a vast pattern of illegal payouts from lobbyists to state legislators. Region/Country. 3221-3590) Part 10 (pp. Popularly known as the Kefauver Committee after its telegenic chairman, the committee captivated the nation in 1950-1951 with its televised hearings. Building upon the earlier work of state crime commissions, Kefauver directed committee staff to examine what he called "the life blood of organized crime": interstate gambling. After a dispute with Rosen, Adler sold his 49 percent share of Flamingo Hotel (in a transaction brokered by Wiener and Jones) and departed for Northern Nevada. Usage Policy | Senate. Public interest in the Kefauver inquiry peaked in March 1951 when the committee convened hearings in New York City and millions of Americans watched the live broadcast. www.senate.gov. Unlike other witnesses, Sedway admitted to having known Ben Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Jack Lansky, Little Augie Casanno, Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, Nate Rutkin, Frank Erickson, Longie Zwillman, Charles Lucky Luciano, Charlie Fischetti, Rocco Fischetti, Jack Dragna, Gene Normile, Jake Guzik, and the principals in the Cleveland group. In addition to his duties at the Last Frontier, Moore served as a member of the Nevada Tax Commission, the administrative body that oversaw the collection of taxes from Nevada businesses, including casinos. [4][6] Many of the committee's hearings were televised live on national television to large audiences, providing many Americans with their first glimpse of organized crime's influence in the U.S.[1][5][7] Among the more notorious figures who appeared before the committee were Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, Louis "Little New York" Campagna, Mickey Cohen, Willie Moretti, Frank Costello, Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, Meyer Lansky, Paul "The Waiter" Ricca,[6][8] Virginia Hill (former Joe Adonis-Chicago Outfit messenger and mobster Benjamin Siegel's girlfriend), and four of Irish mob boss Enoch "Nucky" Johnson's former policemen in Atlantic City were also called forth. Wiener admitted that Lansky might have owned some stock in the original Nevada Projects Corporation, but that it wasnt a large percentage. Siegel was the largest shareholder. stream The committee briefly recessed. Samuel Roth - Publisher. Echoes of the Past: The Legacies of 1950s Comics Censorship in the More important were the non-legislative results of the investigation. Gilbert King is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. Estes Kefauver (1903-1963) | American Experience | PBS The committee had already been conducting hearings for five months, and they were tired. [3][4] However, the Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce already claimed jurisdiction over the issue. "Stenographic transcript of hearings before the Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. Antagonized by the press, Hill kicked and slapped aggressive journalists on her way out of the hearing room, actions caught on live television. Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), United States. In December 1951 Americans selected Chairman Kefauver as one of 10 most admired men, joining a list of notables including Pope Pius XII, Albert Einstein, and Douglas MacArthur. [11], Senator Kefauver served as the committee's first chair. Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce (Creator), United States. I think we had better put the press off no longer, the senator said. Mr. Harold Chamberlain - Circulation Director of Independent News Co. Mr. Charles Appel - Owner, Angus Drug Store. He had heard that Dalitz was in the laundry business, but that was all. E. D. Fulton - Member of the House of Commons in Canada. The Kefauver hearings on organized crime proved a fascinating and engrossing revelation to many Americans introducing for the first time to many viewers terms such as "the Mafia" and the details of how criminal organizations worked. Sometimes only the Crime Documents from the Estes Kefauver Collection [15] Other notable examples of expos films inspired by the hearings include Hoodlum Empire (1952) and The Turning Point (1952). Dybwad shows us the DC Comics internal Comic Code they used during this period. Clark said he did not know the total cost to build the Desert Inn, but was 100 percent certain he had never approached any of a list of alleged underworld kingpins whom Halley mentioned: Frank Costello, Phil Kastel, Meyer Lansky, Jack Lansky, Jack Dragna, Mike Accone and Ben Siegel. endobj [4] Among its recommendations were: The creation of a "racket squad" within the United States Department of Justice; the establishment of a permanent Crime Commission at the federal level; the expansion of the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee to include interstate organized crime; federal studies into the sociology of crime; a ban on betting via radio, television, telegraph, and telephone; the establishment of state and local crime commissions; and a request that the Justice Department investigate and prosecute 33 named individuals as suspected leaders of organized crime in the United States. ban them. Executive session." Jones was the lieutenant governor of Nevada, a partner in the law firm of Jones, Wiener, Jones, and Zenoff, and a part owner of the Thunderbird Hotel, Golden Nugget and Pioneer Club. . He knew Hank Greenspun, but not under his birth name of Herman. Mr. William A. Eichhorn - Vice President of American News Co. Courtesy of Robert Stoldal. On November 14, the senators making the Western jaunt Kefauver, Charles Tobey of New Hampshire and Alexander Wiley of Wisconsin joined their investigators in Los Angeles. Articles: Frank Costellos Hands: Film, Television and the Kefauver Crime Hearings, by Thomas Doherty, Film History, Volume 10, No. President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime (Creator), In Copyright - Rights-holder(s) Unlocatable or Unidentifiable, "Citizen's Responsibility for Law Enforcement", Second interim report of the Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, "Senator Estes Kefauver to Meet Chelseans for Crime Discussion at Hudson Guild", Draft of statement rejecting legalized gambling, Press release from Senate Committee to Investigate Organized Crime, "Weekly Report from the Office of Estes Kefauver U.S. Stacher had applied for a license to become a partner in Bill Graham and Jim McKays Bank Club. Halley aggressively quizzed Jones on the Thunderbirds early financial problems. Send us corrections Comments 0. Americans had seen nothing like it beforenot in their own living rooms. The morning session features Richard Clendenon, Dr. Harris Pack, Henry Edward Schultz and Senator Estes Kefauver, whose witch hunt against comics, aided by Dr. Fredric Wertham's sensational book, Seduction of the Innocent, set the medium back 50 years. Viewers watched incredulously as a cadre of individuals representing the underworld of interstate bookmaking and gambling interests offered details of their sordid business arrangements. a special thank you to Jeff Trexler for photocopying them and mailing to me for free. NexisUni has some of these transcripts. KEFAUVER INVESTIGATION AND KNAPP COMMISSIONThe pervasive reach of organized crime in the United States has made it a target of investigations and legal action since the nineteenth century. Get the latest History stories in your inbox? xYmo6 f +Pp\%}p558v~d(I\@Nw"+|N^ I~x Q$)XI(;|.eGCz-( Zz%&1VY#FQcDXJw The committee's summary, which implicated the governor in illicit gambling activities, proved to be Warren's political downfall. Warren accused Kefauver of being an "ambition-crazed Caesar who is trying desperately and futilely" to be a presidential candidate. Despite having a lot of fans, Johnny was embarrassed by his horror work and was very reluctant to return to it. President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime (Copyright holder), United States. Popularly known as the Kefauver Committee after its telegenic chairman, the committee captivated the nation in 1950-1951 with its televised hearings. United States. Sometimes Fantasy is spelled Phantasy. Schools dismissed students to watch the hearings. There are 47 Campaign subseries. The Kefauver hearings, as they beca. | Visit ArchivesSpace.org As Jones tried to answer, Kefauver interrupted him mid-sentence. The Kefauver Drug Hearings in Perspective - JSTOR Clark started by sharing that he was a member of the corporation that owned Wilbur Clarks Desert Inn and an employee of the casino. The release of the book was followed by hearingscommonly referred to as the Kefauver Hearings after presiding senator Estes Kefauverbefore the Senate subcommittee on delinquency. "Television and radio make these events more vivid and alive to the general public than newspapers," explained one New York teacher. Executive session." In 1950, he introduced a Senate resolution to establish a committee to investigate labor racketeering in interstate commerce. THE KEFAUVER DRUG HEARINGS 63 biotics. 2370 SENATE INTERIM REPORT ON INVESTIGATIONS IN FLORIDA AND PRELIMINARY GENERAL CONCLUSIONS Wearing a mink cape, silk gloves, and a large hat, and with the presence of a movie star, Hauser strutted into the U.S. Building and Kefauver Story - The Mob Museum He passed a law banning Crime Comics in Canada, but it didn't work. Mr. Charles Appel - Owner, Angus Drug Store. He was also president of the National Cartoonist Society, a group of popular comic strip creators. so I could put them online with my webpage, I told him I would and well, better late then never! Senate Resolution 202 provided the Special Committee on Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, commonly known as the Kefauver Committee, with $150,000 to study interstate crime. Various private transcription companies sit in on congressional hearings and record transcripts. Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This is a public hearing and anyone has a right to be here, Kefauver told him. [1] The term capo di tutti capi was introduced to the U.S. public by the Kefauver Commission. To arrive at a thorough, accurate, and over-all picture of the problem of organized crime in interstate commerce, the committee, consisting of Senator Estes Kefauver as chairman; two other Democratic members, Senators Herbert R. O'Conor and Lester C. Hunt: and two Republican members, Senators Charles W. Tobey and Alexander Wiley, has visited and Newsstand dealers insisted that it was a regular occurrence and it was why the crime and He hates Horror/Crime Comics, Bill Gaines and the comic Panic in particular. Revelations of bribery and illegal gambling among the city's police force drew intense scrutiny from the mayor, leading one journalist to report that "one-fifth of the citys police captains were said to be slated for the skids." 1 0 obj Clark first put the proposition to the group in Las Vegas; they rebuffed him. Watch Gaines get grilled over his comics. Clark testified that he was aware of but did not have knowledge of his partners various scrapes with the law, which included bootlegging convictions and illegal gambling indictments. And even though Kefauver ran as Stevensons vice presidential candidate in the Democrats losing 1956 bid, it was the crime hearings that would cement the Tennessee senators legacy. Similarly, he denied that Frank Costello had any interest in the Thunderbird, again claiming that to his knowledge Costello had never set foot in Las Vegas. Blood banks ran low on donations, prompting one Brooklyn Center to install a television and tune in to the hearings, and donations shot up 100 percent. Terry and the Pirates, then Steve Canyon. city and/or state is listed with the date.Series IX: Jobs, Appointments and Patronage (1949-1963) This series includes individual recommendations and appointments by Kefauver to positions within the federal government.Series X: Office Files (1939-1963) includes files from both the Chattanooga and the Nashville offices, including case work, condolences, field office files, guestbooks and correspondence with news media and other agencies. His interest in the Flamingo and a small share of the Frontier Club turf book were his only Nevada assets. After Moore explained that the Commission had just denied a license to Joseph Doc Stacher because of his associates in New Jersey, Kefauver thanked and excused Moore. He advertises in comic books and somehow kids that bought stuff from him got mail advertising sex books of a sort. Gunner Dybwad - Executive Director of the Child Study Association of America. They also bash EC artist Johnny Craig quite badly. He was unable to recall exactly how much he had invested in the Desert Inn, possibly a quarter-million dollars? Draft of Senator Kefauver's personal statement on moving on from Crime committee. It also includes a summary of bills Kefauver introduced or co-sponsored during his term in the House (1939-1949), information about proposed changes to the two-thirds rule, and voting records and indexes to bills.The series is arranged chronologically.Series III: Committee Files (1949-1964) contains 25 subseries. Estes Kefauver Papers, MPA-0144. Committee on Juvenile Crime, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), Halley, Rudolph, 1913-1956, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), Hudson Guild (New York, NY), (Library of Congress Name Authority File), Kefauver, Estes, 1903-1963, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), United States Committee on Fair Employment Practice, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), United States. Three years before the Army-McCarthy hearings and 22 years before Watergate, the Kefauver Committee hearings in the winter of 1951 brought a parade of gamblers, hoodlums, crooked sheriffs and organized-crime figures out from the shadows to sit and testify before the white-hot lights and television cameras. Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver ran to be the Democratic nominee for president. Crime commissions across the nation had identified Costello as a key figure in the nation's largest gambling syndicates. Oh, and there are NO tie in sales. Aureomycin, Chloromycetin, Terramycin, and, after 1953, Tetracycline all sold for $5.10 for sixteen 250-milligram cap-sules until I960, when, under the impetus of the drug hearings their prices began to drop. 202 .. See other formats Senate. "bad" comic book publisher. Kefauver warned Carroll that hed be cited for contempt by the Senate, but Carroll refused to answer any questions, meandering nervously around the courtroom. The Kefauver hearings confirmed the existence of a national crime syndicate and revealed lax enforcement. )Series V: Campaign (1936-1963) contains materials from Kefauvers many campaigns for his House and Senate seat and his unsuccessful bids for President (1952) and Vice President (1956). https://scout.lib.utk.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/199540 Accessed May 01, 2023. This series also appears to hold at least some of Kefauver's weekly television and radio messages to Tennesseans. that did not think comics had an effect on juvenile delinquency, but they were not invited to testify. To be perfectly frank, he said, you are all running around the country investigating the race horse book and the wire and closed down all those offices.. Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dell, EC Comics and others all The committee launched its investigation in Miami on May 28, 1950, and found evidence of gambling everywhere, from restaurants to cigar stands. 2581-3219) Part 9 (pp. These dramatic hearings also made certain that television would play a large role in future Senate investigations. Your Privacy Rights His book Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013. He was afraid of retaliation for testifying, but Kefauver cut him off with a bland reassurance that they probably wouldnt leave him twisting in the wind (we will do our best anyway) before adjourning the committee and convening the final press conference of the day. 1111-1508) Part 5 (pp. Record Kefauver Upload Audio File Helpful. and Horror Comic books. In addition to Costello, the committee interrogated a veritable who's who of the criminal underworld. Series I: Subject Matter File (1933 - 1964) contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, reference materials and other documents gathered or created during Kefauvers legislative work. Griffith, and operated the casino, which opened as the second major property on the Strip in 1942, after his uncles death. Email a Senate historian. Hon. [11] Congress responded to the call, and in 1970 passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act as a direct response to the committee's recommendation. newspaper strip. About two weeks after Siegels June 20, 1947, death, Sanford Adler and his associates formed Flamingo Hotel Inc., and bought the property from Nevada Projects. The Kefauver collection is currently divided into fourteen series available for research. Mother or Virginia Hill? The Chicago investigation connected top officialsmost of whom were members of the Democratic Partywith corrupt practices. Costello mumbled incoherent answers, became belligerent, refused to answer questions, and twice left the witness table without being dismissed. Mr. William A. Eichhorn - Vice President of American News Co. Mr. J. Jerome Kaplon - Chairman Juvenile Delinquency Committee, Union County Bar Association, Ads by Project Wonderful! While examining this issue they Virginia Hill continues her testimony before Kefauver Committee These series include:Series XV: Framed objects Chairing the Senate Committee to Investigate Crime and Interstate Commerce, the Tennessee Democrat organized a barnstorming tour across the country, handing down subpoenas from New York to New Orleans to Detroit to Los Angeles and sweeping into local courtrooms to expose thugs, politicians and corrupt law enforcement agents. Mr. Richard Cledenen - Executive Director, US Senate Subcommittee To Investigate Juvenile Delinquency. Distributors from top to bottom all insisted there Moore revealed that since the Tax Commission had begun issuing licenses, it had refused hundreds of applications and revoked as many as 100 for reasons of character. Halley asked why William Graham and James McKay, notorious Reno racketeers, had been granted licenses despite their convictions for altering government bonds in the southern district of New York. LAS VEGAS (Nov. 2011) On Nov. 15, 1950, the U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, led by U.S. Below are links I made to all the testimony, going in order as they appeared. to keep the documents as authentic as possible. Television viewers were riveted, in part, by the cast of characters called to testify before the committee. Many times during these televised hearings they showed or described comic book covers or specific story panels, I managed to find the pictures in question in some of these instances and put them up within the testimony. Hearing locations vary. Process The last two subseries contain executive calendars and digests of public general bills, respectively.Series IV: Correspondence (1939-1963) consists of correspondence to and from Kefauver, his staff and his colleagues. for DC and Fawcett. William J. Moore was up first. see 1950's US Government Transcribers were bad at spelling too. One of them that provides access to selected transcripts is Federal News Service. Outraged Over Video at Hearing, Carroll, Bet Expert, Defies Senators, by William M. Blair, New York Times, February 25, 1951. Senate. An estimated 30 million people in the United States tuned in to watch the live proceedings in March 1951 and at the time 72 percent of the population were familiar with the committee's work. He calls them trash and wants a law to Government documents, primary sources | American Mafia He is the associate vice provost for faculty affairs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I refer, of course, to the 1954 Senate Subcommittee hearing on Juvenile Delinquency, where Senator Estes Kefauver (D-TN), used the spectacle of televised hearings to lambast the entire industry. "This is a public hearing and anyone has a right to be here," Kefauver told him. There is much talk about the relationship On live television, the cameras zoomed in on the mobsters meaty hands as he nervously fingered the eyeglasses resting on the table, or moved to dab a handkerchief to his off-screen face as he dodged question after question, making him appear all the more sinister to daytime viewers. The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was a special committee of the United States Senate which existed from 1950 to 1951 and which investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the United States. [4], The committee's work led to several significant outcomes. Nor was Clark certain exactly who was overseeing the department heads; he thought that Kleinman and Dalitz might be in charge.
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