Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made
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“Wiseguys and the White House is an eye-opening, authoritative, remarkably detailed exposé of the interplay between organized crime and our presidents, shockingly revealing how close we have come to Mob rule.”—Ronald Kessler, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets of the FBI and The First Family Detail
“Mobsters and presidents? The ties aren't just in pulp fiction. Eric Dezenhall tracks down the startling deals and deceptions that both sides might prefer to keep secret--from FDR to JFK to Trump.”—Susan Page, New York Times bestselling author of Madam Speaker
A “connected” account of how the Mob has worked with America’s Commander in Chiefs and have influenced the presidency for nearly a century.
Gangsters and presidents have long captured the American imagination, but how much does the underworld actually affect presidential power? How deep are their “connections”? As Eric Dezenhall reveals in this eye-opening history, in some instances, one couldn’t have functioned without the other. From Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Richard Nixon to Joseph R. Biden, the mob has done presidential dirty work, including attempts to assassinate foreign leaders, harass America’s enemies, and put our chief executives in office.
Wiseguys and the White House documents when mobsters and presidents have traded favors—and double-crossed each other, including:
- The deal cut with Lucky Luciano to protect the waterfront during World War II.
- How the Chicago Outfit (and Frank Sinatra) got one Kennedy elected, only to be pursued by another.
- How LBJ and the FBI used a mob hitman to hunt down the killers of Civil Rights activists in Mississippi
- Reagan’s association with Lew Wasserman, the powerful and influential Hollywood mogul
- Trump's blatant ties to construction and gambling cartels
- Biden’s early links to “the Irishman” Frank Sheeran, the labor union official and enforcer for Jimmy Hoffa and Russell Bufalino.
- And more
Combining exhaustive research, including newly released government records and the private recollections of leading gangsters, Wiseguys and the White House offers insight into the myths about the power in America and the drive for recognition and respectability that unites consiglieri and commanders-in-chief alike.
Wiseguys and the White House includes 65 black-and-white photographs throughout.
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Eric Dezenhall is an award-winning author of twelve books of fiction and nonfiction, including Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War (with Gus Russo), which is being made into a feature film. He founded one of the nation’s first crisis management firms and worked in the White House, where President Reagan once called him “Derek.” His organizational skills were deemed insufficient for membership in organized crime, but he’s really trying.
