THE CIA THE MAFIA, A[ ]

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000300510041-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2004
• Sequence Number: 41
• Publication Date: May 16, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For ReI 9 - f A i]'UNR ff315R0d30 041-1
~
i
1 MAY 1976 (_ e c C (
C'r Sr1'of : l'
C. /A 4~' car s ~.ss` ~cS,v
~ ., ,y A:` .' ODD T "HS' t h `,.r', s_ r t. 11 t. c'1 iU the
J.Y A American Character. t':, fe' ( n ri J i .t o?_ `' n.
Walter Mcindale upon re', ie\vin the total f huge of the
CIA's persistent efforts to kill Fidel "Thank
God," he said. "we're just not very good at that sort of
thing."
. Most thoughtful o!servi?.?rs scorned to draw the saute
reassuring ConClusiea. Even the :lrnlerican Mafia dons
who had been recruited ''ire Agency to carry" out Cas-
tro's execution were sewn a too incompetent to be really
evil. The portrait dra'.c'n 1)y the, Senate Intehigence Conl-
r,;ittee casts thrall more an he b ht of ch m titers cut of
"The Gang That Couldn i got Straight," humbling
after Castro but apparently :never getting around to
making an attempt on iris Iif c.
Such interpiretatiutis of deadly un'Jertal:lll!.;s are
210 doubt comforting, but they are to be more
than exercises in 1vishfut I!iiahin'_;.' o beaiit -,vitll, Seri,
Robert .14organ ,D-N.C.) toils Lis -the theory Illat pre-
vailed in the [Senate Inte;i: cnee~ Cennmitr'cc was that
the Mafia never tried to hill Castro, that wt 'e were being
used."
The committee did ,.Lt p:ltsup this, but :in iilctepend-
ent examination of he yaii:chi record of one of life
1cy Mafia figures inrclvL'.i is t1'.: plot [takers Ili co,isil'lcr
the Iroublit;l; I't ilrlili', that at ii ,:5t 5( rt? iif the CIA's
M fiaas Ociatcs :s'ewr" i' -kill) l'(Lilrel.
such it iidi'illy 11fa': C t'itP l !i .:'ly
in I=;L;t)' hcn the t:IA.ct i.:.'t t') rtaritet:u:Ma ria.:\litlost
all the tinaloc vlltl'r'kor:'l t:i_'itil('5 ball iii`-o'?ltd Ia i'lty
in Cuba and Castro as fast '1:wing to .self.:: their hold-
iilgs. He h d even put some (? their nleinb': rs in jail. 111c
Mafia's willin;ness to do the CIA's dirty work would not
then have required exp':;r,ation.
Sam Giancana and John itoselli are the two mobsters
generally" identified with the Mafia-CIA plot. But a. third,
Santo'Ire:fficanteJr.. was perhaps the row t important of
the three, for it w; as his Tll(!,l, both in ,?Ii:lllli anti )Ia';:7CIt,
who were supposed to carry out the murder.
'1ri ffiCai)t is ,Cr;tr~l!y identified as the doll Of south-
ern Florida, but he is aho cue of the Chiefs in the Mafia's
IJGse national L'~nfc -lem t)r.CE' the A:-1:,.; V dceidCii
to turn to the mob, it vr:=:: l c'; itab?e !liar i r:'tfieante's as-
SIalanCC MAIM he sought. :hone' ;iniUiT`_, V:c principal
dons, he had li';!.d in had hunt ii '::i Z Orl!at116(-
tion there and sstill hea,! of Iti_e ':at'_'S In t':I
tro's Havana. ?'?toreove:% his professloriai e::pcrionce
made hiin ideally scitea fur ,issat iuation .cork.
He had !earned the front his lathe;. S nto
Tr.affiv'tinte:Sr., -h,; !ro..i it to Tat11;?a
where he !;till .... t tali .,_. C':.,.... faintly the next :;i)
"C:.tr Iii L~+J=, a year it' .:'i
~t'+ .. ~ .t i '1., ill ?,llt'1 ~,t
oil his life, father.
In the first ieww `ear.. 0' I.e rule,'I'atnpi: u plaf;t:r;t
'with gangland rnurdF?:. 1:':tie hunso!f n ltnidint' :u:,.
pest io). the 1957 harper=),o,' e:,t.cutiun of Albert Anarl'i-
sia, itj old rhief C+!' Murder 1tit'rarpurat-1. AfCcflmirnrii' it
14 According V to reports
tio;l~ Committee,
move ill on'fraff icar:te's G l ff ! E~ ~ C~ ~ ,, f ` 1) e
'
h
f
l
e
ollowing month
.
Mafia national c on','fi,ti( J`
later, his eini n'erce was (,,? ~~~ , ~ i, C,