#33: The State of the Mafia: A 1967 FBI Report (Part One)
Description
"To the rules that hold us together"
In this episode, we discuss a comprehensive 1967 FBI Intelligence Report distributed across all FBI field offices within the United States.
This report provided an overall picture of the American Cosa Nostra across the entire country and provided reports, taken from the accounts of 190+ informants, around the following:
The Existence of the Organization
Historical Background & Origins
The Purpose and Role of the "Commission"
Communication Between Families
Organizational Structure & Terminology
Qualifications and Admission to Membership
Initiation Rites & Induction Ceremonies
The report is comprehensive and touches upon many interesting points such as:
Chicago's Role in Communicating "Commission" Orders
Los Angeles' Role in Relaying "Commission" Orders
The lines of leadership succession in Philadelphia
The ways in which each family refers to itself
The estimated number of "made" members across the country
The vetting process for new members
Accounts of 5+ "making" ceremonies
As part of this episode, we discuss some myths and facts related to many of the accounts contained within the report from various informants.
United States
