In Search of History

Project Underworld: Military & Mafia (2000x26)

Data di messa in onda: Feb 09, 2000

" In the mid-1930s, Thomas Dewey burst onto the national scene as the prosecutor who put ""Lucky"" Luciano behind bars. A decade later, then Governor Dewey of New York commuted Luciano's sentence because of his contributions to the American effort in World War II! PROJECT UNDERWORLD is a riveting look at the unholy wartime alliance between U.S. intelligence agencies and organized crime. Discover how a fear of pro-fascist elements among recent Italian immigrants led the Office of Naval Intelligence to recruit underworld figures to root out security leaks along New York City's vital waterfront. The ""ferret squad,"" as it was known, was led by Lieutenant Commander Charles Haffenden. By 1942, his contacts included Bugsy Siegel, Mike Lascari and Frank Costello. And none of this could have happened without Luciano's jailhouse blessing, arranged by go-between Meyer Lansky.