Sunday, August 05, 2007

"Family Jewels"






Check out the CIA's Freedom of Information Act webpage. On it you can find former confidential documents now declassified for public viewing. One document entitled "Family Jewels" outlines a number of shady CIA dealings such as the CIA trying to arrange Fidel Castro's assasination by a mobster, the ensuing pressure on a journalist who exposed this deal, arranging use of the local police in the Chicago National Democratic Convention, and the detention of a KGB defector who turned out to be the U.S.'s greatest informant.

In 1960, because of his contacts in Cuban gambling operations, Las Vegas based mobster Johnny Roselli was contacted by CIA agents posing as Cuban businessmen. The purpose of this meeting was to explore the possibility of "removing" Fidel Castro ostensibly as a remedy to business problems for a sum of $150,000. The agents were put in contact with a couple men capable of handling the job. These two men turned out to be Chicago bosses of Cosa Nostra on the FBI's 10 most wanted list (only identified after the agent saw their picture in the Parade newspaper supplement (goverment "intelligence")). Arrangements were made with a dissatisfied Cuban doctor to administer 6 poison pills that were given to him. However, the arrangement was soon cancelled due to the Bay of Pigs "operation". All did not fade away quietly, however. Johnny Roselli was busted for a $400,000 rigged game of gin rummy with a Friar's Club (aren't they just supposed to do toasts?). Roselli wanted protection from the Feds. The spooks called his bluff and a Washington Post reporter, Jack Anderson was leaked the details of the little proposed arrangement. Surveillance was put on Anderson to find out the source. Roselli ended up in the joint. His body was later discovered in a oil drum with his legs sawed off. Why hasn't there been a movie about this with Joe Pesci staring as Johnny?

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

$400,000 rigged game of gin rummy? what happened to good ol'fashioned rummy?

You can still play it here:
http://www.rummyroyal.com/1-678-223-1-23400

Enjoy!

Danny

12:18 AM  

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