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Sam Giancana and the Assassination of JFK


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Interesting article in the Chicagoist:

A favorite theory of many JFK assassination buffs is that the mob, led by Chicago boss Sam Giancana (pictured right), ordered a hit on the president as payback for double-crossing them after they helped him win the 1960 presidential election. When Kennedy won Illinois, many Richard Nixon supporters claimed that then-Mayor Richard J. Daley's political machine in Chicago had fixed the city election, thus helping Kennedy carry the state. But others, most notably investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in his 1997 book, The Dark Side of Camelot, have claimed that instead of mere dirty politics, JFK, or more likely his father Joseph, a former bootlegger, made a deal with Giancana to swing crucial wards in the city. Giancana's son and grandson make a similar claim in their book, Double Cross, and of course, Oliver Stone could never make enough connections between the mob and the assassination in his film, JFK. After he was elected, JFK's brother and attorney general Bobby started a campaign against organized crime, enraging mob leaders like Giancana who thus wanted to see him dead.

Why the history lesson? Well, Chicagoist loves a good JFK assassination theory, so we perked up when we saw the Sun-Times reporting that UIC finance professor John Binder recently analyzed vote totals from in the 1960 general election in city wards where Giancana supposedly had clout to see if the mob really did swing the election. And he found that the mob-controlled areas in the city, as well as Cicero and Chicago Heights, voted no differently than others. In fact, Democratic vote totals remained about the same in those wards for Kennedy in 1960 as they were for Adlai Stevenson in 1956. Binder also disputes the notion that Giancana helped Kennedy win the state of West Virginia, and that the mob influenced citywide votes via union support.

So if JFK didn't owe Giancana any favors for helping him win Illinois, would Bobby's crusade against the mob still have angered them enough to order a hit on the President? Maybe. But if not, conspiracy nuts always have a host of other favorite suspects, including anti-Castro Cubans, some guy named Lee Harvey Oswald, the Soviets, Texas oilmen, and Lyndon Johnson himself. The parlor game never ends no matter how bizarre the idea. But if Professor Binder is right, you can take some of the major Chicago ties out of the equation.

http://www.chicagoist.com/archives/2006/03..._jfk_theory.php

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Namebase entry for Sam Giancana:

http://www.namebase.org/main4/Sam-Giancana.html

Anderson,J. Peace, War, and Politics. 1999 (108, 114, 120)

Anson,R. They've Killed the President! 1975 (296)

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Interesting article in the Chicagoist:

UIC finance professor John Binder recently analyzed vote totals from in the 1960 general election in city wards where Giancana supposedly had clout to see if the mob really did swing the election. And he found that the mob-controlled areas in the city, as well as Cicero and Chicago Heights, voted no differently than others. In fact, Democratic vote totals remained about the same in those wards for Kennedy in 1960 as they were for Adlai Stevenson in 1956.

Since Illinois was the fiefdom of Adlai Stevenson, and Chicago, an immigrant city, was run by Daley's highly professional political machine, the only mystery in 1960 was how come Kennedy did not win by a bigger margin.

Binder also disputes the notion that Giancana helped Kennedy win the state of West Virginia

West Virginia was a dirt-poor rural state in 1960, the last place where someone like Giancana could hope (or wish) to operate or have influence.

Both JFK and RFK had served on the McLellan committee, and their commitment to ending the power of organized crime was one of JFK's biggest claims to credibility going into the Democratic campaign of 1960

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It should also be noted that JFK didn't need Illinois to win the election. Without Illinois he still would have won in the electoral college.

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There was a huge push on to get votes out in Chicago and Illinois, but according to many, not for Kennedy but for Republican States Attorney candicate Ben Adamowski. Adamowski was a major Daley rival and enemy and wanted to get control of the States Attorney's office to investigate the Democrats. It was extremely important to defeat him and the mob shared in that. Check out the Daley bio 'American Pharaoh' and the Outfit history 'The Outfit'.

The very high amount of REPUBLICAN vote fraud that took place in that election may have altered the results in the professors research. One reason Nixon didn't appeal the vote in Illinois is that he was allegedly told that such an investigation would yield at least as much Republican fraud as Democrat.

I remember reading newspapers of the day and vote fraud was a major topic.

Bill Roemer, the former SAC for Chicago has published tape transcripts of Giancana and other mobsters questioning why the change to supporting Kennedy when "we already got our own guy (Nixon)". Giancana made it clear that he expected smooth sailing and no hassles from a Kennedy administration.

With few exceptions, I find the books from the Giancana family worthless, unverifiable fiction. The only exceptions I have found so far are Antoinette's memories of things like how the guy who used to fetch towels for her and her girlfriends at Daddy's Thunderbird motel is now the mayor of Rosemont, Illinois.

I suspect that the professors statistics may be in need of some additional analysis and interpretation.

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Guest John Gillespie
It should also be noted that JFK didn't need Illinois to win the election. Without Illinois he still would have won in the electoral college.

EXCELLENT point and one rarely made regarding this topic....

Great stuff as always,

JG

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One reason Nixon didn't appeal the vote in Illinois is that he was allegedly told that such an investigation would yield at least as much Republican fraud as Democrat.

I remember reading newspapers of the day and vote fraud was a major topic.

Yes, the newspapers were right. According to that most unimpeachable of sources, Gerald Posner himself, Nixon DID appeal the vote in Illiniois:

"The Republicans obtained recounts, involved U.S. Attorneys and the FBI, and even impaneled grand juries in their quest to get a different election result. A slew of lawsuits were filed by Republicans, and unsuccessful appeals to state election commissions routinely followed. However, all their efforts failed to uncover any significant wrongdoing.

In Illinois, for instance, the final recount showed that Nixon's votes had been undercounted by 943 -- yet, in 40 percent of the rechecked precincts, it turned out that Nixon's vote had been overcounted. Unhappy with those results, Republicans went to federal court, where their case was dismissed. They then appealed to the State Board of Elections, which also rejected their claims. It was not until Dec. 19 -- over a month after the election -- that the national Republican Party backed off its Illinois claims."

http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/featur...00/11/10/nixon/

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  • 9 months later...

I have never been able to comprehend "why" Jack and "Bobby" would have chosen, very early after taking office, to take a 180 degree reversal of what "Joe"

may have advised. Bobby, as I understand, became Attorney General primarily because of Joe's prodding and insistance. My thinking has ALWAYS been that the issues were not those most commonly believed. What I think (only speculation) occurred, was that the MOB "did not" supply the support to which they had agreed. After this was realized.....

it was "this betrayal" which resulted in the immediate wrath of Joe, Jack and Bobby. Nothing else has ever made much sense to me, as it would make no political sense make war on elements that, thru labor unions and other organizations, would wield a great deal of political power. My personal reasoning is that if the Kennedy's felt that they had won the first election, despite this betrayal,

they were not greatly worried about the next.

I have looked with a great deal of skepticism, in certain areas involving Judith Exner, Sam Giancanna, and certain mob lawyers and relatives of the Giancanna family. IMHO, we are dealing mostly with hearsay that was made known for reasons that were not in the interest of solving the JFK Assassination. A Mob and Castro "Red Herring" was introduced because it was much easier to persuade lilly white Americans, that it was not THEIR GOVERNMENT, but only dark, greasy foreign trash,

that would have been capable of such a horror.

Why is this different than what the Nazis so successfuly implemented in their annihilation ?

I realize that the mob was allied with the CIA in the attempted overthrow of Castro. However I feel most strongly, that this certainly was not an effort made in an earnest attempt to aid the U.S. government.....but was their best method for achieving their financial reinstatement in Cuba.

Although it should be apparrent to even the dimmest, that the Mob strongly supported any effort to eliminate the Kennedy's, for obvious reasons......

I feel that Mob involvement in the actual assassination was not present. They were needed for NOTHING ! Those at the top echelons of U.S. government, agencies and military, had any asset in the world at their disposal. Why would they risk direct involvement with free mouthed braggarts over which they had no true control.

In spite of the flak which I expect from this next statement.....I believe that neither Mafiosi nor Cubans were "needed" and therefore, for many reasons not used.

I believe that this Coup d' Etat was born, bred, financed, and entirely carried out at the direction of the highest power levels of both money and government that existed in the U.S.

This is why it is UNSOLVED !

Charlie Black

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I have never been able to comprehend "why" Jack and "Bobby" would have chosen, very early after taking office, to take a 180 degree reversal of what "Joe"

may have advised. Bobby, as I understand, became Attorney General primarily because of Joe's prodding and insistance. My thinking has ALWAYS been that the issues were not those most commonly believed. What I think (only speculation) occurred, was that the MOB "did not" supply the support to which they had agreed. After this was realized.....

it was "this betrayal" which resulted in the immediate wrath of Joe, Jack and Bobby. Nothing else has ever made much sense to me, as it would make no political sense make war on elements that, thru labor unions and other organizations, would wield a great deal of political power. My personal reasoning is that if the Kennedy's felt that they had won the first election, despite this betrayal,

they were not greatly worried about the next.

I have looked with a great deal of skepticism, in certain areas involving Judith Exner, Sam Giancanna, and certain mob lawyers and relatives of the Giancanna family. IMHO, we are dealing mostly with hearsay that was made known for reasons that were not in the interest of solving the JFK Assassination. A Mob and Castro "Red Herring" was introduced because it was much easier to persuade lilly white Americans, that it was not THEIR GOVERNMENT, but only dark, greasy foreign trash,

that would have been capable of such a horror.

Why is this different than what the Nazis so successfuly implemented in their annihilation ?

I realize that the mob was allied with the CIA in the attempted overthrow of Castro. However I feel most strongly, that this certainly was not an effort made in an earnest attempt to aid the U.S. government.....but was their best method for achieving their financial reinstatement in Cuba.

Although it should be apparrent to even the dimmest, that the Mob strongly supported any effort to eliminate the Kennedy's, for obvious reasons......

I feel that Mob involvement in the actual assassination was not present. They were needed for NOTHING ! Those at the top echelons of U.S. government, agencies and military, had any asset in the world at their disposal. Why would they risk direct involvement with free mouthed braggarts over which they had no true control.

In spite of the flak which I expect from this next statement.....I believe that neither Mafiosi nor Cubans were "needed" and therefore, for many reasons not used.

I believe that this Coup d' Etat was born, bred, financed, and entirely carried out at the direction of the highest power levels of both money and government that existed in the U.S.

This is why it is UNSOLVED !

Charlie Black

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