Shadows Over the White House: The Mafia and the Presidents

How did the American Mafia and corrupt politicians wield so much power over the country’s affairs that the Mafia’s influence even reached the White House? Harry Truman was one of three top lieutenants of Kansas City boss Tom Pendergast. Truman controlled the county government, while another lieutenant, Mafia boss Johnny Lazia, committed murders and other crimes necessary to keep the machine in power. Truman himself was never charged with corruption. When he was elected to the Senate in 1934, he became known in Washington as Pendergast’s errand boy. When Pendergast himself eventually ended up in federal prison for tax evasion on bribes, Truman remained loyal to him. With Pendergast’s downfall, it seemed that Truman would be defeated for re-election to the Senate in 1940. However, Bob Hannegan, who governed St. Louis in partnership with Mayor Bernie Dykman, came to Truman’s aid and ensured the senator a landslide victory. Harry Truman eventually became president after FDR’s death, which led to a period of toleration of the Mafia throughout the country. The need for margins in close elections at certain key times, such as John F. Kennedy’s in 1960, increased the Mafia’s influence. Further connections are well documented during the Nixon and Reagan presidencies, when the Mafia played a role in securing important voting blocs. Thomas A. Reppetto was a detective chief in Chicago and dean of John Jay College CUNY. He is the author of American Police, American Mafia, and numerous op-eds in major newspapers. — Provided by publisher.