Why did J. Edgar Hoover publicly deny the existence of the Mafia for so long?
score:10
J. Edgar Hoover knew perfectly well that organized crime existed before 1957. In the 1940's he had been known to sit at the same table in upscale clubs with known underworld figures like Meyer Lansky (source: J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets, by Curt Gentry).
He preferred to not acknowledge the mafia's existence so he would not be obliged to assign FBI agents to build cases against them. He chose to assign his agents to cases like unorganized interstate crime ("Pretty Boy" Floyd, John Dillinger, "Baby Face" Nelson), infiltrating the Communist party, and spying on and harassing civil rights leaders. It was only the blatant publicity of the Apalachin Meeting, after it was raided by state and local police, that forced the FBI director to admit that the mafia was an actual organization.
Upvote:5
David Carter's "Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution" actually discusses this. Not only did the mafia run many of the gay bars in New York and other places, but they also frequently blackmailed prominent people who frequented them. One blackmail ring was broken up and it was later discovered that they were blackmailing US generals and Senators. The book also interviewed male prostitutes that had attended mafia run events that Hoover attended while dressed as a woman. (As we know now, he also had a long-time male romantic partner.)
So it would be very likely that he was very aware of the mafia but they also had lots of blackmail material on him, which prevented he from acknowledging their existence until he absolutely had to.
More post
- 📝 When did Comino become depopulated?
- 📝 Were there any tests or prerequisites for Blacks and Indians to be admitted to the University of Cape Town during Apartheid?
- 📝 Did French Seamen Join the US Merchant Marine in WWII?
- 📝 Did the proto-Indo-Europeans displace or overlay the pre-existing European tribes?
- 📝 How did the upper class stay wealthy in the past?
- 📝 Josephus' writings about Kafr Yasif
- 📝 Were regular citizens of the Republic of Venice permitted to own and carry arms/weapons?
- 📝 Why is there a difference in ordinal numbers of UK General Elections and Parliaments? Was a UK Parliament ever formed without an election?
- 📝 How early did restrictions on hunting start?
- 📝 What made India pull out troops and return the captured territory at the end of 1971 Indo-Pak war?
- 📝 How did/do Sumerian numbers sound?
- 📝 Treatments for the Plague
- 📝 As American as the Apple Pie?
- 📝 Why was "leaping into the river" a valid trial outcome to prove one's innocence?
- 📝 Age of majority in Washington state in 1945?
- 📝 Did officers use cases / bags / pouches in the 18th century?
- 📝 What were English 'rules restricting marriage'?
- 📝 How large were Victorian British military forces?
- 📝 Could senators visit Roman Egypt?
- 📝 What were the Lines of Ne Plus Ultra in the War of the Spanish Succession?
- 📝 How did an input of resources in 16th century Spain contribute to inflation?
- 📝 When did FDR announce he was running a 3rd time, and was there any outrage?
- 📝 How was Enguerrand VII de Coucy able to keep his allegiance to both king of England and France during the Hundred Years War?
- 📝 Did collective punishment of families occur during the French Revolution?
- 📝 Did Britain bill Poland for maintaining Polish Air Force that fought over Britain?
- 📝 What are the most comprehensive historical references for ancient India?
- 📝 Which leading Serbs and Croats argued against their own extremists in the wars 1992-95?
- 📝 Did anyone interweave blue and red threads in order to give the illusion of purple cloth before purple dye became cheap?
- 📝 Why did the Allies lose the Battle of France (1940)?
- 📝 What is Renaissance Humanism?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why did J. Edgar Hoover publicly deny the existence of the Mafia for so long?
- 📝 Why did it take so long for Europeans to adopt the moldboard plow?
- 📝 Why did it take so long for the Germans to develop the first tank model in World War I?
- 📝 Why did it take so long for humanity to be able to cross the oceans?
- 📝 Why did the Australian IOC deny that Peter Norman was excluded from the 1972 Olympics for supporting racial equality?
- 📝 Given their reputation for fighting to the last man in the Pacific, why did 700,000 Japanese troops surrender in Manchuria?
- 📝 Historically, why did the US station their nuclear weapons in Germany for delivery through German pilots?
- 📝 How long did it take for a diplomat to travel between Berlin and Vienna in the 1770's?
- 📝 Why did Stalin push for the Great Purge against the Red Army in 1936?
- 📝 Why did JFK give approval for the CIA to encourage Diem's deposal?
- 📝 How long did it take for a letter to arrive in England in the 1830s?
- 📝 Why did Argentina invade the Falklands when they did, rather than wait for the pending sale of the UK aircraft carriers to complete first?
- 📝 Did anyone warn about the potential for stock market crashes in 1929, and if so why were their warnings ignored?
- 📝 Why did the dominance of maize last so long in North America?
- 📝 When, where, why did clean shaving for men become the norm?
- 📝 Why did people die for their religion in the 400s CE (or even now)?
- 📝 Why did Jefferson have to 'Stretch the Constitutional Breaking Point' for the Louisiana Purchase?
- 📝 Did FDR support Hoover for the presidency of the US in 1920?
- 📝 Why did Spain trade Florida to the British in exchange for Havana?
- 📝 At the Battle of Waterloo, why did the French army throw so many troops into the fight for Hougoumont?
- 📝 Why did the US have a plan for the event of war against Britain in the 1920s?
- 📝 Why did the price of eggs in Britain increase much more than for other basic foods during WWI?
- 📝 Why did Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng receive different punishments for their role in the Xi'an Incident?
- 📝 Why did Uesugi Kenshin never marry? Was it common practice for Japanese Buddhists of the time?
- 📝 Why did Lord Mountbatten shrink the timeline for the withdrawal of British troops from India?
- 📝 Why did it take Rome so long to supress the Spartacus Revolt?
- 📝 Why and when did countries develop long names that include the form of government?
- 📝 Why did the church attack Mainz for printing books?
- 📝 Why did China begin persecuting Falun Gong after tolerating the movement for nearly a decade?
- 📝 Why did the Levee en Masse call for children to make lint?