THOUGHTS ON ORGANIZED CRIME PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R002200240008-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 10, 2009
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: July 12, 1982
• Content Type: MEMO

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THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
FROM: TONY DOLAN
NSC review completed.
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Gzm_sa'* a+,clatrl f7 c
July 12, 1982
MEMORANDUM FOR WILLIAM FRENCH SMITH, ATTORNEY GENERAL
NSC review completed.
TEX LEZAR
ANTHONY R. DOLAN
Thoughts On Organized Crime Program
rJ
Here is a suggested 11 point program on organized crime.
1) Ex]~ert.Meetings -- It might be useful for Justice Department
officials to meet on a fairly regular basis with those outside
of federal law enforcement who have dealt professionally with
organized crime problems. These "reports from the front"
oftentimes provide the kind of valuable information and insight-
that fails to make it through to the top of the bureaucracy. I
am thinking here of people like Bob Green, the senior editor of
Newsday (who ran the Arizona project -- the probe of reporter
Don Bolles' death), Tom Renner, Newsday's expert on the mob and
the author of My Life in the Mafia, the Wall Street Journal's
Jonathan Kwitney, author of a magnificent book on the mob in
the marketplace, James Dubro, the producer and head researcher
for the famous Canadian Broadcasting Company's documentary on
organized crime. Other names are Nicholas Pellegi, Clark
Mollenhoff, Charles Rogovin, etc.
2) Kefauver Type Commission -- A Presidential commission on
organized crime could make a truly historic. contribution to
crippling the syndicate in America.. There is nothing that
organized crime fears more than the exposure of its deep roots
and wide connections. Such a commission could not only suggest
important legislative remedies, it would also remind the
American people of the seriousness of this cancer in our
society. It would have to attract a cross section of
support -- for that reason, you would probably want to think
about putting on people like Sam Nunn, Jack Kemp, Tom McBride
(IG. at labor), Dick Kusserow (IG.. at HHS and formally head of
eight organized crime squads in Chicago), Thomas Puccio, some
local and state prosecutors and perhaps a police officer or two
(Joseph Waumbaugh has expressed great interest in this matter).
This national commission should be empowered for 5 years and
have subpoena powers; it should deliberate and hold hearings
for the first year ---general testimony, for example, from
Judge Webster on the nature of organized crime today; it should
then set up five regional commissions that hold hearings for
another year or two and report their findings back to the major
commission. Then the major commission should hold additional
hearings and prepare a report to Congress and the President.
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This commission could look into the deep organized crime
involvement in American business, unions, government waste and
fraud, the legal profession, entertainment industry, narcotics,
racing, pornography, gambling, etc.
3) Attorney General's Speech -- The Attorney General's
reputation as an effective administrator and propitious
reformer is now well established. This speech should be his
declaration of war on the single greatest crime problem facing
the American. people. This speech should note the historic
nature of this problem, its theme should be quite clear:
organized crime has thrived in America for nearly 100 years.
The time has come for us to remove this blot from our past.
4) Presidential Speech on Organized Crime -- The President
should point out in this major television address (we may want
to have an audience for this as well -- how about all of the
U.S. Attorneys?) that street crime is related to organized
crime. That our crime problem in America stems from the growth
of a "community of crime" -- and that organized crime is the
cancerous center of this criminal activity. This community of
career criminals -- the street mugger, the hold-up artist, the
professional burglar, the local fence, the gambling czar, the
mob boss, the corrupt policeman, the crooked lawyer, the
compromised public official -- all help each other and they all
need each other. The President can make reference to the
Attorney General's meetings with experts on organized crime and
his recent speech, then go on to announce the formation of the
national commission. The President should also mention some of
these steps presented below.
5) Fifty States Project -- The President must point out that
organized crime will only ultimately be broken apart at the
local level. This means that state and local communities must
address this problem in an entirely different way. It means
local police departments must toughen up their attack against
those industries that provide much of the revenue: gambling,
pornography, etc. It should point out the absolute importance
of strong internal affairs departments in police departments
and the necessity of special sections to investigate
allegations of corruption in the legal system in the various
states. The President might also suggest that local police
departments establish organized crime squads instead of the old
racket squads and that these squads obtain special training in
Washington. All of these suggestions would be made in letters
to the governors of the fifty states.
7) White House Conference on Organized Crime and Public
Corruption -- The President would host this conference run by
the Justice Department. It would discuss the Fifty State
proposals.
8) Justice Department Training -- For prosecutors and possibly
policemen who need to acquire the expertise to investigate
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sophisticated crime such as internal corruption complicated
fraud matters and other organized crime cases. This would be a
training academy much in the manner of the FBI academy.
9.) Yearly Report by the Attorney General.-- The Attorney
General should ask for Congress for authorization to make a
yearly report of the status and nature of organized crime in
America.
10) Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee -- A committee run by.
the. Attorney General to coordinate all the various law
enforcement agencies of the federal government in a methodical
and organized attack on the mob.
11) Federal Law Enforcement Appointments -- Future appointments
to DEA, FBI, Strike Force,. Public Integrity sections should be
made with an emphasis on the organized crime problem.
Since its inception in the late 1800s, organized crime has
grown at an appalling rate and today enjoys immense power in
America. Justice Department efforts to combat it have -- at
best -- had a marginal impact. Except on rare occasions, these
efforts have been reminiscent of the half-hearted attempts of
the British and French governments during "The Phony War" of
1940 -- though the problem is critical, the impulse is to
conduct business as usual.
What is needed now is a total war on the internal
menace -- this means aggressive and responsible strategic
planning as well as the mobilization of all our National
resources in carrying out these plans.
There are three reasons for doing this. First,. the
American people want it done. They have a deep intuitive
knowledge of the seriousness of this problem. We see it
evidenced even in our popular culture, the cult for example of
The Godfather or The Untouchables. An effective attack on
organized crime would be responsive to this national invitation
and help restore faith in our legal system.
Second, the continuing prosperity of organized crime is a
serious threat to our health and stability as a Nation. It is
a cancer in the body politic that is growing and spreading.
Third -- most important -- it is the right thing to do.
We now have enormous power at our. disposal.-- the means to make
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this Administration the Administration that crippled the mob.
We cannot lose this opportunity.
In the. end, this is what it comes down to: organized
criminals are human predators. What kind of people are we,
what does.it say about us -- if we do not -- in the time
remaining -- do all in our power to remove this blot from our
history and end this blight on our country?
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