askhistorians

Year:

Only show posts with narrations

I've read that J. Edgar Hoover denied the existence of the mafia in America until the Apalachin Meeting made it impossible to do so. What was the reasoning behind this? Did he not believe American mafia to be a major problem, was he unaware, or did he just not want to publicly admit the issue?

338 upvotes

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
I've read that J. Edgar Hoover denied the existence of the mafia in America until the Apalachin Meeting made it impossible to do so. What was the reasoning behind this? Did he not believe American mafia to be a major problem, was he unaware, or did he just not want to publicly admit the issue?	338