Debunking Historical Myths About Mafia Ties to the White House

‘Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made — An Authoritative Exposé of the Mob’s Secret Influence on American Political Power’By Eric DezenhallHarper, 368 pagesEric Dezenhall begins his group biography by dealing with the misinformation and myths about what has been variously called the mob, the mafia, Cosa Nostra, and wise guys. He traces the origins of his book back to his work in the White House when he was startled to learn that many members of the staff took it as fact that “the mob” had ordered the assassination of John F. Kennedy.Mr. Dezenhall grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and while not a member of “the mob,” he got close enough to conclude they could never have ordered such a hit on an American president. Why? Because there is no such thing as some kind of monolithic mob, which is why I have put the term in quotation marks. So called wise guys are disorganized, distrust one another, and for the most part have no interest in politics.As often happens with publishers, the title of Mr. Dezenhall’s book is itself misleading, since it sure sounds like there is some entity called “the mob.” But such titles are meant, of course, to sell books. So imagine the disappointment of readers when they realize the author is not a conspiracy theorist and has not penetrated the inner sanctum of those not so wise guys, although he does a superb job of explaining both the reach and the limits of gangsterism.Meyer Lansky is one of main figures, portrayed as a brilliant, if corrupt, businessman/criminal who believed that all businesses are the same—some more corrupt, of course, than others. His only mistake was assuming his support of FDR would pay dividends, and when it did not, he lost interest in politics. Politicians simply are not reliable, even though sometimes complicit in crime by allowing wise guys to use their influence on labor unions, for example, to further presidential policies. Mr. Dezenhall shows conclusively there is no reliable quid pro quo between politicians and criminals, although their tactical agreements can hold up for a while.Individual chapters suggests this is essentially an episodic book about FDR’s search for “resources in Sicily to help plan for the Allied invasion . . . how Harry Truman’s roots in a mobbed-up Kansas City political machine stayed with him throughout his career and how he helped racketeers despite his reputation for honesty and straight talk,” “how Joseph P. Kennedy co-opted the mob to help his son get elected,” and so on. But Mr. Dezenhall demurs: “This book is more than an anthology of different presidents and their discrete adventures with the mob. I have sought to tie together what these shady deals had in common across presidencies and how we look at an ongoing phenomenon rather than a series of stand-alone encounters.”Mr. Dezenhall acknowledges it is difficult to separate truth from fiction, especially since Americans seem prone to believing in a coherent and conspiratorial underworld, but he does his best to distinguish between what actually happened and what criminals say happened when they are exaggerating their influence on politics and particular presidents. He has a 5 point scale of measurement:“5. Wouldn’t have been president without mob4. Career significantly affected by mob3 Mob involvement relevant to aspects of presidency2 Mob links are not very impactful1 Tangential mob links at best”The right term sometimes for Mr. Dezenhall’s subjects is racketeers, a term which fits Aaron Burr, who tried to work out a scheme with European powers to grab a significant chunk of western territory. Another term Mr. Dezenhall doesn’t employ is criminal ally, which fits the coordination between pirate Jean Lafitte and Andrew Jackson in the victory at New Orleans in the War of 1812.Mr. Dezenhall deals with Burr, Jackson, and other early progenitors of the easy and sometimes uneasy commerce between presidents and criminals, who at best can only be temporarily united to serve political purposes because not only are politicians and criminals disloyal to one another, they are also disloyal to themselves, which is to say there is no honor among thieves or politicians, so far as I can tell in Mr. Dezenhall’s entertaining and informative book.Mr. Rollyson’s book, “Making the American Presidency: How Biographers Shape History” will be published on Presidents’ Day 2027

Debunking Historical Myths About Mafia Ties to the White House

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