Episode 2297: Louis Ferrante on why the Mafia Killed JFK

Keen On

This is a good one. Former mobster Louis Ferrante discusses the second volume of his history of the American mafia, Borgata: Clash of Titans, covering the critical period between 1960 and 1985 when the mob was at its height of power. The era began with the Kennedys' rise to power, where Joe Kennedy paradoxically used mob connections to help JFK win the 1960 election, particularly in Illinois and West Virginia. However, Robert Kennedy's aggressive pursuit of organized crime as Attorney General created deep animosity with the mob. The period was marked by the complex relationship between the mafia and Jimmy Hoffa's Teamsters Union. While Hoffa wasn't a mobster himself, he needed mafia support to maintain his position as Teamsters president. The mob had significant control over the U.S. economy through their influence over unions, construction, and various industries. Ferrante presents hard evidence that the mafia, particularly Carlos Marcello, was involved in JFK's assassination, describing failed assassination attempts in Florida and Chicago before the successful Dallas plot. After Kennedy's death, the mob's influence grew as federal law enforcement, under J. Edgar Hoover, focused more on communism and civil rights protesters than organized crime. The period ended with Hoffa's disappearance in 1975, which Ferrante attributes to mob retaliation after Hoffa threatened to expose their activities when trying to regain control of the Teamsters from Frank Fitzsimmons. According to Ferrante, this era represented the apex of mafia power in America, before increased violence and internal conflicts began to tear the organization apart in the 1980s. Great stuff from Ferrante, who is establishing himself as the semi-official historian of the American mafia.

Louis Ferrante is an international bestselling author, global speaker, and television host for Discovery Networks International. His books have been translated into twenty languages and his television series has aired in over 200 countries and territories around the world.

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Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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