Apalachin raid - 11-14-1957

[H2O Man]

Today marks the 50 year anniversary of one of the most interesting chapters in law enforcement in the United States. At the time, J. Edgar Hoover, the powerful director of the FBI, denied that there was any "organized crime" in American cities. But a raid on the rural estate of Joseph Barbara on McFall Road outside of the village of Apalchin changed that.

Barbara was the head of a family distributing business in Endicott, NY. He was also the boss of the "Bufalino family" business. And he was hosting a steak roast for over 120 mafia leaders from across the nation. The meeting was arranged in response to the very public execution of Albert Anastasia, in a barber chair a month earlier. The mob bosses were planning to divide Anastasia's NYC-area empire. Also on the agenda were plans to discuss options for mafia control of the illegal drug trade in the USA.

However, the day before the steak roast, a couple NYS police officers got wind of the planned convention, and they started to keep track of the vehicles in the parking lots of Endicott-area hotels and motels, and the traffic to McFall Road.

Those attending the social function included Paul Castellano, Carlo Gambino, Frank DeSimmone, Vito Genovese, and Louis Santos Trafficante. The raid resulted in the public becoming more fully aware of the influence of organized crime in this country.

[NightWatcher]

1. One group of "organized" criminals raiding another group of "organized" criminals...

the government doesnt like competition.

[Me.]

6. Priceless!

Am reading 'Legacy of Ashes' and that couldn't be more true

[Historic NY]

2. My newspaper had an interview with NYSP SGT...........

son who lead the raid/stakeout.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS/711140353

[mod mom]

3. thank you for this link. Was Hoover informed of the raid or did it go down w/o

his knowledge?

[Historic NY]

5. suspicious cop with gut instincts..........

Hoover was too busy picking out dresses. Most police work is accidental and he stumbled upon the meeting of the century. Small town cops make FBI big look like a clown.

[H2O Man]

7. My understanding is

that Hoover was not pleased by it. The NYS police were Sgt. Edgar Croswell and an investigator, Vince Vasisko. They were half-way between small town police and the federal authorities.

I haven't read the linked article yet, but I know that Barbara's son had a habit of speaking openly. I think they were watching him, and when he made a lot of reservations for a "distributors' convention," they had an idea that soda wasn't the central issue.

A young reporter from the Binghamton area got his start on serious reporting on the case. David Rossie went on to become the editor of the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin; he is semi-retired now, but wrtes some great editorials and environmental/hunting columns. Over the decades, he and I have been at times friends, at times not friendly at all; today we get along very well, and I think he should have gotten a lot more recognition as one of the best writers of our era.

[Historic NY]

17. in the old days.........coming through Orange County

the mobsters would come upstate on the secondary roads on the way to the Catskills, my family used to talk about seeing the entire bunch as they stopped for gas or a greasy burger and a drink. I knew a few of the more modern ones and some of their relatives or wannabes. Talk is how many of them get taken down. I used to listen myself, in more ways than one. Their "thing" wasn't mine. Most of the gavone's think they are all capo de tutti capi.

[H2O Man]

19. I am going

to e-mail you.

[H2O Man]

8. Here's another article:

http://pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140340/1001

[H2O Man]

11. Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/11/11/2007-11-11_upstate_summit_raid_in_57_put_mob_on_map.html

[Me.]

4. Wasn't There Several Films Made About This?

Were the officers believed when they first reported this, or pooh, poohed?

[H2O Man]

9. There was an

opening scene in a film "Analze This" that attempted to make it seem humorous.

[tuckessee]

10. I think Joe Bonnanno of NY & Joe "Batters" Accardo of Chicago also attended. n/t

[formercia]

12. That's funny

Joe Bonnanno and J Edgar Hoover were both Knights of Malta.

I guess if Joe hadn't shown up, it would have looked suspicious. I wonder if Joe was the rat.

[tuckessee]

13. Maybe he was....

According to the last book I read about the LCN Joe Bananas ratted out Luciano twice through a lawyer named Walsh.

Once to set up the 1930's prostitution trial and then again in 1946 to get Luciano expelled from Cuba.

[formercia]

20. Rudi Giuliani claims to be the only prosecutor

that ever sent Joe Bananas to prison. He claims to have "handled" the case.

Did he get nominated to be a Knight of Malta before the case or as a result of his good job at "handling" it?"

[Me.]

14. I'm Wondering If The Untouchables

Would have ben able to function once the Hoover era started?

[H2O Man]

18. There are a lot

of interesting ideas about Hoover's relationship with people connected to organized crime. I think that to fully appreciate those connections, it is important to know that there are people who are not actually in the mob, but who are associates or consiglieres to family figures. Even those who tend to dismiss suggestions that Hoover was tied closely to top mob figures recognize the director was friends with several important mob associates. The same is true of Richard Nixon, and there are rumors that JFK's father had friendships with mob associates.

What I think is fascinating is how there were layers upon overlapping layers of connections between the mob, local, state and national government, and the business community. One of the things that I think younger DUers would enjoy is RFK's "The Enemy Within," his 1960 book about the McClellan Committee's investigations of labor unions. You add that to the work he did as the Attorney General, and you begin to appreciate what JFK and RFK were trying to do in those 1000 days.

[bobthedrummer]

15. Even then Hoover and Tolson were still denying OC-k&r

[H2O Man]

16. Right.

As if more than 120 people traveled from coast to coast, and even from two other countries, to meet to discuss the distribution of soda pop in Broome County, NY.