What about this one? 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. is just different ways of spelling stuff. Superman, Tarzan, Crime and Horror books, etc.. It's taken me 5 years to get this online. His reputation shattered, O'Dwyer resigned his diplomatic post. When pressed, Jones assumed that this was Meyers brother, and that Jack had stayed at the hotel a couple of weeks on at least two occasions. Other accumulations of mail have been sorted by function (e.g., condolences) or by location of correspondent (eg., Tennessee county, international, et cetera. During his final months in office, a bitter Lucas tried unsuccessfully to prematurely end the committee's investigation. Blowing the whistle on Mob-connected sports betting. He talks about the horrible comic books. Mr. Charles Appel - Owner, Angus Drug Store. Full text of "Investigation of organized crime in interstate commerce Mr. William Richter - News Dealers Association of Greater New York. and against comic books, Comic Book Ratings, Are you a Red Dupe? They also talk about comics being distributed internationally and any censorship involved. He shared his story: born in Poland, naturalized as a citizen in 1914, a resident of New York City until 1938, Los Angeles from 1938 to 1940, and Las Vegas from 1941 onward. They also bash EC artist Johnny Craig quite badly. Draft of Senator Kefauver's personal statement on moving on from Crime committee. stream Costello was a tough act to follow, but Kefauver found the star of the show in Virginia Hill Hauseran Alabama-born former waitress and moll to the late Bugsy Siegel. that did not think comics had an effect on juvenile delinquency, but they were not invited to testify. Terry and the Pirates, then Steve Canyon. continue on intimidating the comic book publishers by bringing in politicians that either have or tried to This is a public hearing and anyone has a right to be here, Kefauver told him. Congress. He says there ARE tie in sales. Executive session." Hon. Ads by Project Wonderful! Jones claimed to have never met him, nor had Lansky spent time at the Thunderbird. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), United States. Many Illinois Democrats lost their reelection bids in that year's midterm election, including Senate Majority Leader Scott Lucas. <> Kefauver then made a bid for a Senate seat in 1948, running against E. H. Crump, the mayor of Memphis and boss of Tennessees Democratic Party. But as to how those men came into their money, Hauser said, she didnt know anything about anybody. She and Bugsy had had a fight in a Las Vegas hotel, she said, after I hit a girl at the Flamingo and he told me I wasnt a lady., Gangster moll Virginia Hill Hauser's combative testimony made her the star of the Kefauver Hearings. [3] In particular, many cities and states were concerned with the way organized crime had infiltrated interstate commerce, and how it threatened to hold the American economy hostage through labor racketeering. Independent News is owned the same people that own DC Comics. Though he was unsuccessful in his bid for the presidency, in 1956 Democrats selected Kefauver as their vice presidential candidate. Government documents, primary sources | American Mafia Echoes of the Past: The Legacies of 1950s Comics Censorship in the Chapter 4: Investigation A freshman U.S. senator from Tennessee, Estes Kefauver, seized the opportunity. 3221-3590) Part 10 (pp. He was unable to recall exactly how much he had invested in the Desert Inn, possibly a quarter-million dollars? [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. Museum building location of the famed Kefauver hearings (1950-51) that exposed organized crime. At the end is a slew of newspaper articles by Irving M. Kravsow, they show you how the media responded to Crime While that showdown led to new. Crime Documents from the Estes Kefauver Collection The Kefauver Committee and Organized Crime - YouTube 202 .. See other formats Greenspun owned a piece of property that was included in the Desert Inns grounds, and owned 30 percent of a motel adjacent to the hotel. Terms of Use [4][5] More than 600 witnesses testified. Wearing a mink cape, silk gloves, and a large hat, and with the presence of a movie star, Hauser strutted into the U.S. Hearing locations vary. 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 [10] The committee's final report, issued on April 17, 1951, included 22 recommendations for the federal government and seven recommendations for state and local authorities. Hauser soon after hopped on a plane and fled the country to evade a tax evasion charge by the Internal Revenue Service. 1735-1990) Part 7 (pp. Moore admitted there were a few more shady characters than in other lines of business, and that, while it would be a desirable thing to purge some individuals from the industry, he had never given any thought to how it could be done, despite his license-issuing role on the Tax Commission. ", The broadcasts made the Kefauver Committee a household name; in March 1951, 72 percent of Americans were familiar with the Kefauver Committee's work. 1 0 obj Remarkably, Kefauver beat the incumbent, Harry S. Truman, in the New Hampshire primary, leading Truman to abandon his campaign for renomination. Wiener confirmed that he was attorney for the Siegel estates executor, and that Siegels interest in the Golden Nugget race book had a value of zero. Diamond Jim Moran, the owner of La Louisiane Restaurant in New Orleans, took advantage of the free publicity and repeatedly plugged his restaurant, which was teeming with illegal slot machines. "Stenographic transcript of hearings before the Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. the CCA Stamp. Feedback or questions? The Senator and the Gangsters | History| Smithsonian Magazine Former New York City mayor William O'Dwyer testified to allegations of corruption during his tenure. 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. He professed not to know the hotels final construction cost, or the current book value of the property. Senator Kefauver would write the Senate Interim Report in 1955 that summarizes the hearings and offers some conclusions. Hearings led by Sen. Estes Kefauver in 1959 and 1960 were the first significant congressional inquiry into rising drug costs and drug-company profits. The Kefauver collection is currently divided into fourteen series available for research. Email blog@themobmuseum.org. Food for kings, he said. WNYC has released the first day of the hearings, April 21, 1954. Your Privacy Rights The hearings on the West Coast drew the largest audiences recorded in daytime television. I dont expect to be made an object of ridicule as long as television is on.. The Kefauver hearing in Las Vegas - The Mob Museum Historic Congressional Committee Hearings and Reports newspaper strip. 725 ORGANIZED CRIME IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE [4], The Kefauver Committee held hearings in 14 major cities across the United States. Halley asked Jones if he knew Meyer Lansky. After doing all the things called wrong, there she was on top of the world, with a beautiful home in Miami Beach and a handsome husband and baby!. I just got out of bed and am loaded with drugs, he told Kefauver. Staff Interface The few pro-comics experts 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. He invokes the 5th Amendment and asks for immunity. Employment & Internships | Greeson admitted he had passed on to investigator Robinson when they met at a police chiefs convention in Colorado Springs the rumor that Stacher was willing to spend $250,000 to elect a group in Reno that would permit him to buy a one-third share in the Bank Club. see 1950's US Government Transcribers were bad at spelling too. Testimony of Mrs. Helen Meyer and Mr. Matthew Murphy - Vice President and Editor of Dell Publications. Talk About Dj Vu: Senators Set To Re-Enact Drug Price Hearing Of 60 There were also Politicians from Canada, Committee on Juvenile Crime (Creator), District of Columbia. Senate Hearing On Drug Prices Reprises Past Inquiries : Shots - Health Business and political leaders demanded action. He returned to Tennessee to practice law, taking an interest in finance and taxation, married a Scottish woman, Nancy Pigott, and started a family that would include four children. Mr. William A. Eichhorn - Vice President of American News Co. Mert Wertheimer of Detroit was licensed after a testimonial from the former head of the FBI from Detroit. Moore knew of Wertheimers gambling activities in other states, but insisted that shouldnt disqualify him. The man gambles, he explained. <> Firemen's Head Claims Ex-Mayor Got $10,000, Committee Hears Hoover and McGrath in Capital, Contact | Kefauvers Las Vegas hearings, then, helped provide a cocoon of monopoly for the Nevada casino industry to grow unchallenged for the next 25 years, which likely benefited the state as a whole. Articles: Frank Costellos Hands: Film, Television and the Kefauver Crime Hearings, by Thomas Doherty, Film History, Volume 10, No. This is his story. Council on Law Enforcement (Creator), Economic Club of Detroit (Copyright holder), Hudson Guild (New York, N.Y.) (Copyright holder), Kefauver, Estes, 1903-1963 (Copyright holder), Library of Congress. gone through it four times with a fine tooth comb to try and weed out all the mistakes the OCR program Hearings on 'sky-high' drug prices show how little has - CNN Intro to the Hearings, Descriptions of Crime and Horror Comic Book stories. 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. The committee later cited him for contempt and he served jail time. questioned on how comic books were distributed. CBS News: Crime & The Committee - The Kefauver Hearings - Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio, Virginia Hill, William O'Dwyer & Frank Costello Testify (1958)For . These series include:Series XV: Framed objects Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), United States. Many of the high profile casino. Mr. 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. 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." In 1951, Frank Costello was subpoenaed to appear before the Kefauver Committee. He distributes a number of horror comic books and some get displayed for him to explain. In Kansas City, the committee confronted, in Kefauver's words, a "place that was struggling out from under the rule of the law of the jungle." Juvenile delinquency, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Organized crime, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Legislative hearings, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Gambling, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Television, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Children--Institutional care, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Motion pictures, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Pornography, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Adoption, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Comic books, strips, etc., (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Drug abuse, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), International organization, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Juvenile courts, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Political corruption, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Sports betting, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Witnesses, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), College sports, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Comic books, strips, etc, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Correctional institutions, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Criminals--Rehabilitation, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Deportation, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Gangster films, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Housing, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Interstate commerce, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Korean War, 1950-1953, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Mental health, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Narcotic laws, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Organized crime--Prevention, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Police, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Prostitution, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Schools, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Slot machines, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Swindlers and swindling, (Library of Congress Subject Headings), Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, (Library of Congress Name Authority File), District of Columbia. An introduction is given at first by the chairman who talks about the purposes of the hearings. Kefauver Hearings - The Mob Museum Kefauver would then arrive, as he did in the Committees first stop in New Orleans, and begin his questioning of, say, corrupt sheriffs, who would admit they did not exactly enforce the law when it came to gambling and prostitution in the parishes of Louisiana. [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. Born in 1903, Estes Kefauver studied at the University of Tennessee and at Yale University where he received his law degree in 1927. He hates Horror/Crime Comics, Bill Gaines and the comic Panic in particular. The committee initiated perjury action against him. and Horror Comic books. By bringing public opinion to bear on the problems of interstate crime, the investigation helped local and state law enforcement and elected officials to aggressively pursue criminal syndicates. Sheriffs Ex-Wife Tells Senators How He Accumulated $150,000, New York Times, January 27, 1951. 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. Historic Congressional Committee Hearings and Reports Alexander Wiley (R-WI), Chapter 1: Origins Senator Kefauver tears this poor guy to shreds because some people working for this organization are also consultants There is much talk about the relationship 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. [15] Other notable examples of expos films inspired by the hearings include Hoodlum Empire (1952) and The Turning Point (1952). He narrowly lost and was the vice presidential candidate alongside Adlai Stevenson. They lost to Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. horror comics were being sold. In a defiant tone and her nasal voice, Hauser regaled the Committee with remarkable stories of friendships with fellas who gave her gifts and money. Despite the potential political cost to his party, Kefauver pledged to lead a "no stones unturned, no holds barred, right down the middle of the road, let the chips fall where they may" inquiry. The two sides went back and forth on this issue. The hearings clearly demonstrated that some elected officials had facilitated and profited from criminal activities. Hearings to Recall Earlier Investigations in Same Setting: McCarthy and Kefauver, by John Chadwick, The Lewiston Daily Sun, May 13, 1973. (Creator), Southern Baptist Convention. Slain Bugsy Siegels Girl Friend Steals Senate Crime Inquiry Show, by Emanuel Perlmutter, New York Times, March 16, 1951. All but two of these subseries hold material created or gathered in the course of Kefauvers work with various Senate, Joint, Select and House committees. There were Kefauver block parties, and attendance on Broadway wilted. Sedway had attended but not graduated from high school and, after a few years in the garment industry, had become a full-time gambler, dabbled in trucking, and owned a Chinese restaurant in New York. Watch Dell create a new slogan for themselves. Kefauver warned Carroll that hed be cited for contempt by the Senate, but Carroll refused to answer any questions, meandering nervously around the courtroom. | READ MORE. Television viewers were riveted, in part, by the cast of characters called to testify before the committee. The committee launched its investigation in Miami on May 28, 1950, and found evidence of gambling everywhere, from restaurants to cigar stands. testified. These were televised hearings, consisting of a number of US Senators calling up and questioning The official record reflects that they convened the committee in the courtroom on the second floor of the federal building at 300 Stewart Avenue as scheduled at 10 a.m. The American Mafia - Kefauver Report #2 - Feb. 28, 1951 Those hearings became known as the Kefauver Hearings after the committee's chairman, Senator C. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. Milton Caniff was a very influential artist. One reporter, Clark Mollenhoff, reminded RFK that probing organized crime made a name for Senator Kefauver, who had just defeated Jack in the vice presidential race. Many of the Kefauver Committee's hearings were aimed at proving that a Sicilian-Italian organization based on strong family ties centrally controlled a vast organized crime conspiracy in the United States, but the committee never came close to justifying such a claim. When the Committee arrived in Detroit two weeks later, two local stations interrupted their regularly scheduled programming to cover two days of hearings featuring, as the Daily Boston Globe put it, a parade of hoodlums of every description the records of their dealings with murderers, dope peddlers, gamblers. It was estimated that 9 out of 10 televisions had been tuned in. They said they wouldn't be selling them, but the distribution companies wouldn't give them the better selling magazines like TV Guide unless they took and sold the crime and horror comics. [6][10] Rather, the committee uncovered extensive evidence that people of all nationalities, ethnicities, and religions operated locally controlled, loosely organized crime syndicates at the local level. Criminals "as suave and well-mannered as their investigators," observed one journalist, "were treated with the courtesy customarily reserved for law-abiding citizens." Mr. George B. Davis - President Kable News Co. Hon. Record Kefauver Upload Audio File Helpful. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> As Jones tried to answer, Kefauver interrupted him mid-sentence. In 1949 the American Municipal Association, representing more than 10,000 cities nationwide, petitioned the federal government to combat the growing influence of organized crime. Although the last subseries is named "abroad", there are also a few international files in the other subseries. The Kefauver Committee held hearings in 14 cities across the country, including one in the courtroom of this building. We present the text of the three interim reports, the fourth and final committee report and the Virgil Peterson testimony - dealing with organized crime history - to the committee. This guide will point you to publications of the United States Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) available online and in libraries. Legislative Reference Service. After seeing Hausers appearance at the hearings, the columnist Walter Winchell contemplated the seemingly timeless paradox of reality television when he wrote, When the chic Virginia Hill unfolded her amazing life story, many a young girl must have wondered: who really knows best? Phillips was excused and Jones returned with details about the Thunderbirds race wire service. He knew Hank Greenspun, but not under his birth name of Herman. Education and Public Welfare Division. The Adlai Stevenson-Kefauver ticket lost the election to incumbents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. Colorful criminals, sweating and tapping their fingers nervously, seemed to step off the set of Hollywood gangster movies, speaking in broken English, under oath, about their activities. a special thank you to Jeff Trexler for photocopying them and mailing to me for free. Marijuana is often Antagonized by the press, Hill kicked and slapped aggressive journalists on her way out of the hearing room, actions caught on live television. https://scout.lib.utk.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/199540 Accessed May 01, 2023. Dr. Harris Peck - Director of the Bureau of Mental Health Services, Children's Court, New York, N. Y. Henry Edward Schultz - General Counsel, Association of Comic Magazine Publishers, Inc., New York, N. Y. Dr. Fredric Wertham - Author of Seduction of the Innocent, Mr. William Gaines - Publisher of EC Comics, Testimony of Walt Kelly, Milton Caniff and Joseph Musial - The National Cartoonist Society, Gunner Dybwad - Executive Director of the Child Study Association of America, Mr. William Friedman - Small comic book publisher with some horror books, Dr. Laura Bender - Psychiatrist working for DC Comics, Mr. Monroe Froehlich Jr. - Business Manager of Magazine Management Co. (Marvel Comics), Mr. William Richter - News Dealers Association of Greater New York, Mr. Alex Segal - President, Stravon Publications, Testimony of Mrs. Helen Meyer and Mr. Matthew Murphy - Vice President and Editor of Dell Publications, Hon. Though not the first congressional committee to televise its proceedings, the Kefauver Committee hearings became the most widely viewed congressional investigation to date. Email a Senate historian. None of the witnesses made the impact of Frank Costello, who started out by refusing to testify because, he said, the microphones would prohibit him from privately consulting with his attorney, sitting next to him. Kefauver Committee Hearing: Committee Hears Hoover and McGrath in Capital. 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. Stores and offices across the country piped in day-long radio broadcasts. The U.S. Senates Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, chaired by Tennessee Democrat Estes Kefauver, focused attention as never before on gambling-related crime as a national problem.
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