Mafia and John F. Kennedy
by Krysta Cardinale“America’s First Family and the Kings of the Underworld”
One of the most popular topics of discussion for historians and conspiracy theorists alike is the connection between the Kennedy family and the Mafia. While most of the information available is based on word-of-mouth information passed down from people with questionable motives, a general thesis is plausible.
It is generally agreed that the association between the Kennedys and the mob goes back to the years before JFK took over the White House, back to when his father Joe Kennedy was becoming a very wealthy man in the bootlegging business. During Prohibition, Kennedy befriended Sam Giancana, the most powerful man in the Chicago underworld. Together, they made a fortune selling illegal booze and sparked a lifelong partnership and friendship.
Knowing that his past would never allow him to successfully run for office, Joe Kennedy satisfied his insatiable quest for power through his sons, insisting that they enter politics. The elder Kennedy used his significant monetary influence and enlisted his underworld connections to strong-arm support for his son in the media. Here he provided lucrative incentives to editors and journalists alike, in law enforcement, and in business. Joe Kennedy’s Mafia ties pulled through for him, and his efforts translated into John F. Kennedy being elected president in November 1960. When broken down, the margin worked out to a single-vote victory in every poll in America. However, Joe Kennedy made sure there was no connection between the Mafia and John F. Kennedy’s presidential win.
The Mafia and John F. Kennedy
After JFK became president, he appointed his brother Robert to the post of attorney general. Bobby Kennedy immediately set out on a relentless pursuit of members of organized crime, arresting and jailing the very people who allegedly helped get him his job in the first place. His war on the underworld felt like a betrayal to mobsters like Sam Giancana. Especially since Giancana was rumored to have helped seal the election for JFK in Illinois, secure the West Virginia primary that got him the Democratic nomination, and had allegedly been assured by Joe Kennedy that the mob would be safe with his sons in office.
There was also the theory that the Kennedy brothers knew about and continued to support CIA-backed plans to use mobsters to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Thus, they used and pursued mobsters and their resources at the same time.
Jimmy Hoffa, leader of the Teamsters and a well-known mob cohort, was closely watched by the government. Hoffa allegedly wanted Robert Kennedy eliminated. It had been rumored that he decided to get to Bobby by rubbing out his brother first.
The Mafia killed Kennedy
Jimmy Hoffa, leader of the Teamsters and a well-known mob cohort, was closely watched by the government. Hoffa allegedly wanted Robert Kennedy eliminated. This is because Robert Kennedy had uncovered and indicted Hoffa on several charges. Hoffa had a mistrial in his first trial for allegedly tampering with the jury. In the second trial, Hoffa was found guilty and sentenced to thirteen years in prison. It had been rumored that he decided to get to Bobby by rubbing out his brother first.
So in 1963, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated the stories began. The Kennedy assassination and the Mafia were rumored to be linked together by orders of Jimmy Hoffa. However, the evidence never proved that the Mafia killed Kennedy. In another tragic event, on June 6, 1968 Robert Kennedy was shot dead. Once again, the Kennedy assassination and the Mafia were supposedly connected. And, once again, despite rumors there was no evidence that proved the Mafia killed Kennedy number two.
Though much of the “evidence” to this effect is circumstantial, and many “facts” arose years after the assassination, one thing is certain: America lost one of its most popular and beloved presidents on November 22, 1963. Though the events leading up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and later, his brother Robert are still unknown, many people have their own theories, the legacy they left is undeniable.
