Customer Reviews

Mafia: The Government's Secret File on Organized Crime

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Hands down, MAFIA is a must-have reference book for organized crime researchers.

This book is an exact copy of the old Federal Bureau of Narcotics reference on 800 organized crime figures (circa the early 1960s) that thankfully has been reproduced for our enjoyment. This is definitely the "Mafia Bible" of that time period -- filled with information on gangsters from coast to coast.

The setup of the book -- which, again, is an exact copy of the original one -- is separated state by state. There is a California state dossier of mobsters from San Francisco to San Diego. This continues across the U.S. from Missouri to Massachusetts. It is very well organized, including a thorough index of all those profiled and in which other profiles they are listed as criminal associates of another profiled entry.

Best of all are the pictures included in all the entries of that profiled organized crime figure. Many of them I am quite certain have never been seen before outside of the original 50 copies printed by the FBN back in the early 1960s.

The only complaint (very small and probably insignificant to most others) I have is that the paper the book is printed on is quite thin, but then again there are like 500-plus pages, so I'm guessing that's why the paper is so thin so that all the profiles could fit into this big, fat book of facts and unparalleled information on some of the most notorious gangsters of the 20th Century.

In conclusion, I highly recommend MAFIA for any serious (or not-so-serious) researcher of organized crime. This is a book not only to enjoy but to cherish as the gem that it is. I have to thank the publishers for this one, so . . . thanks! MAFIA is well-worth the price of admission.

This is apparently an exact facsimile of a huge Federal Bureau of Narcotics report of which fifty copies were circulated within the Bureau during the late 1950s and early '60s. It was seemingly made from copy #31. Listing mini-dossiers, with photos, addresses, relatives, and criminal records of over 800 suspected Mafia members and associates, this is a valuable research tool for crime historians. It provides many leads on both notorious (or soon to be notorious) and obscure mobsters as well as a bird's eye view of just what the Government knew, or didn't know, about organized crime prior to the Valachi testimony (and Valachi is among those listed). Members are listed state by state, rather than by their then-unknown family affiliations, and strangely a few names of guys who are undoubtably long dead are blacked out but there is a veritable goldmine of entertaining information. There's a handy index of both names and aliases listed at the front of the book, rather than the back. There's also a forgettable and nonessential foreword by Sam Giancana, the namesake nephew of the murdered Chicago Outfit boss, which might have been better replaced by a page or two revealing just how these long buried FBN files fell into the publisher's hands. The book's cover is an instant eyecatcher on one's coffee table and the book itself will provide hours of entertainment for Mob or trivia buffs alike.

Difficult to add much more of substance to what Mr. Mattix has already said so well. Since I've bought the book, I've been unable to stop myself from compulsively flipping through it, again and again. Glancing through the section on NJ, for instance, some of these men-- a few as sinister in appearance as any 1930's scarfaced movie gangster, others with disconcertingly ordinary physiognomies-- lived in locations where I and my family have lived, which is a startling and somewhat chilling realization (although I was friendly in grade school with the son of a Colombo-affiliated hood named Fatty Russo, who killed a bartender and his wife at a drunken New Year's Eve party in 1971...an event described detail in Paul Meskil's 1976 book "The Luparelli Tapes"). A note to the casual reader, though-- some of the information in the book is erroneous, evidently reflecting the incomplete information the authorities had access to at the time it was put together. For instance, "Richard Boiardo" was actually Newark crime kingpin Ruggiero "The Boot" Boiardo (a friend's cousin used to have dinner on occasion with Boiardo, who allegedly cremated numerous enemies at his gothic-style estate in Livingston, and my friend remembered his father yelling at the cousin, "Do you know who those people are? Do you realize what could happen to you when you go out with them?"). This is a minor quibble, of course, and doesn't detract at all from the overall fascination of this very thick, very engrossing compilation. I like to think I'm reasonably well-informed when it comes to organized crime history, but there were items here that took me completely by surprise. For instance; despite the not-always-reliable assertions of New England mob turncoat Vinnie Teresa, there actually was an organized crime element in Baltimore, and Texas too. When Joe Valachi appeared before the McClellan Committee in the early 1960's, he was asked about the organized crime situation in Omaha. Valachi leaned over to one of his handlers and whispered, "Where in the hell is Omaha?" Turns out that...Yes, Virginia, there is organized crime in Omaha, too, or at least there was approximately 50 years ago. If you're a casual reader, there's much compelling material here, from the grim mug shots to the occasionally laughable nicknames listed as aliases. For the organized crime historian, this is an absolutely indispensible item that should be on every bookshelf, right up there along with the works of George Anastasia, Jerry Capeci, and Mr. Mattix.

this is something i always wanted, i love organized crime. it is basically an encloypedia on the top figures around the 50's and 60's. that kennedy got information on. everyone i showed loved it. i would of payed double the amout. i actually saved here. i went to a bookstore and the price was 10 dollars more.

This is not a story but a reference. At the front of the book, there is an alphabetical list of over 800 Mafia leaders. This is followed by a page dedicated to each one, with a photograph, description, locations the person could often be found, criminal history and associates, notes on his MO, etc. The appearance of each page is a typewriter font with, in a few cases, certain information blacked out. It is a fascinating collection that was apparently a secret crime file used by Robert Kennedy in his attempt to search out these Mafia criminals and bring them to justice. It was apparently HIS "reference book", so to speak. The cover of the book is very striking and when placed on your coffee table will entice everyone to pick it up. And then the conversations and fascinations begin! Even for yourself only, the information will give you hours of intrigue each time you open it.

A great book for Organized Crime Historians , Screenplay Writers , and Comic Book illustrators alike who need reference on the Mafia...

This was a nice book with hundreds of mugshots and all kinds of info on wise guys. But it's all the early mobsters. Nobody from the 80's or 90's. I was looking for something more of a moderen day. But its still great to have.

This is an amazing book and hard to believe how it ever came to be released.It is a collection of the people that the United States Treasury Department and the Bureau of Narcotics assembled identifying over 800 persons who they believe were the most prominent in Organized Crime,often referred to as Mafia,during the 1950's and 1960's.
All we really know about the bckground of the book is from the Foreward written by Sam Giancana.This is not the Sam Giancana (see page 144) whose name is so familiar,but by his nephew and godson.He gives no details of how,why,when and by whom it became public.He claims it was for the use of J.Edgar Hoover,Robert F.Kennedy and others in identifying and tracking down Organized Crime.
For over 800 individuals we get their Names,Aliases,Description,Date and Place of Birth,Residences,Localities Freuuented,Family Background,Criminal Associates,Criminal History,Business,and Modus Operandi.There is no date of when it was prepared and no information as to whether or not it was ever updated.All 843 pages carry athis statement

"Property of U.S. Govt-For Official Use Only.May not be disseminatedor contents disclosedWithout permissionop Commissioner of Narcotics"
It was obviously declassified at some date..
It seems this was a "working" manual and there are no persons shown as deceased but does show some as being in jail. One clue as to its date of preparation can be seen on page 406 where Frank Caruso is shown to be "currently (1960)incarcerated".
It has an excellent Index giving Names and Aliases ( shown with an @).It is organized alphabetically by States in the U.S.;and also includes Canada,France,Italy,and Mexico.
While it is an excellent Resource for looking up details on persons when reading about Organized Crime at the time,many of those included lived for many years after and of course there are no details about any of their activities after that.
Many of the people covered here have long since passed away in these last roughly 50 years;and those still surviving are certainly in their twilight years.
It is a very interesting and informative book for anyone interested in Organized Crime in the 50's and 60's.

Really nothing more than hundreds of reprinted pages and photo's from the U.S. Dept of Narcotics Enforcement in the early 1960's, it is very interesting and a vital resource for any crime historian.

The Mafia book is a great resource for anyone who is even mildly curious about the Italian Mafia in America. I would like to have seen a little but more about each gangster, personality traits for example, I do realize that the book is simply a transcription of the FBI files, useful to those working in the field but not entirely interesting as something to sit down and read.
However, one great thing about the book is that if you or anyone you know has any Italian ancestry, this book is a great way to find out if any of those ancestors had ties to the Mafia! In tat vein, the book is an excellent facilitator for conversation, and its' ominous presence on a coffee table ensures that at least one of your guest will want to pick it up and have a flip through.
I gave the book four stars for those exact reasons, and although I have only a mild interest in the Italian Mafia, I was still very entertained by this book.