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[ GUNSHOT ]
Narrator: IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST SECRET WARS IN U.S. HISTORY,
TWO VIOLENT GROUPS LOCKED TOGETHER IN BITTER CONFLICT.
THE MAFIA AND THE KU KLUX *** --
AN EPIC CONFRONTATION
THAT CONNECTED AL JOLSON AND J. EDGAR HOOVER,
AL CAPONE AND RONALD REAGAN,
FRANK SINATRA AND JFK.
NOW THE INCREDIBLE UNTOLD STORY
OF THE STRANGE CONNECTIONS THAT DEFEATED THE KU KLUX ***
AND DECIDED THE FUTURE OF AMERICA.
Russell: THE KU KLUX *** WAS ESSENTIALLY AN UNDERGROUND ORGANIZATION --
CRIMINAL, TERRORIST.
IT RELIED MOSTLY ON VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION.
Raab: THE AMERICAN MAFIA WAS THE MOST POWERFUL AND VICIOUS
ORGANIZED-CRIME GROUP IN THE U.S.
THEY COULD KILL YOU, OR THEY COULD BREAK YOUR LEGS.
THEY WANTED TO FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE.
"IF YOU'RE GONNA BE VIOLENT AGAINST THESE PEOPLE,
THEN WE'RE GONNA RETALIATE."
Porges: IT'S THIS KIND OF CRUEL IRONY
THAT THE *** HELPED CREATE THE MODERN MAFIA,
AND THE MAFIA, IN TURN, HELPED BRING THE *** DOWN.
IN SOME WAYS,
IT'S LIKE THE CREATOR WAS KILLED BY ITS OWN CREATION.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: THE KU KLUX *** --
FOR OVER A CENTURY,
ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORCES IN AMERICA...
BOTH A PROMINENT SOCIAL GROUP
THAT ONCE BOASTED MILLIONS OF MEMBERS,
AND AT OTHER TIMES, A MURDEROUS UNDERGROUND FORCE.
THOSE RACES WILL BE DESTROYED IN SUCH A MOVEMENT.
Narrator: ULTIMATELY, THE *** WAS BROUGHT DOWN,
BUT NOT BY GOVERNMENT ACTION ALONE,
NOR BY THE EFFORTS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT...
[ WOMAN SCREAMS, GUNSHOTS ]
...BUT IRONICALLY, BY THE VERY GROUP
THAT THEY HAD HELPED TO CREATE -- THE MAFIA.
1865 --
THE CIVIL WAR ENDS IN HUMILIATION FOR THE SOUTH.
THE U.S. CONGRESS HAS ALREADY PASSED THE 13th AMENDMENT
ABOLISHING SLAVERY
BEFORE PRESIDENT LINCOLN IS ASSASSINATED
BY A CONFEDERATE SPY.
SOME CONFEDERATE TROOPS REFUSED TO ACCEPT DEFEAT
AND VOWED TO CONTINUE THE WAR BY OTHER MEANS.
ON CHRISTMAS EVE 1865, THE RACIST KU KLUX *** IS BORN.
Russell: THE EARLY ***, THE *** OF THE 1860s,
WAS ESSENTIALLY A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
IT ROAMED THE COUNTRYSIDE IN THE SOUTH
ON HORSEBACK WITH TORCHES AND GUNS.
WHAT IS REFERRED TO OFTEN TIMES AS THE "LYNCHING ERA" --
PEOPLE BEING BEATEN, PEOPLE BEING FLOGGED,
HOUSES BEING BURNED DOWN, CHURCHES BEING BURNED DOWN.
Russell: ITS INTENTION WAS TO FRIGHTEN EX-SLAVES
INTO NOT EXERCISING THE RIGHT TO VOTE,
INTO NOT EXERCISING THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS.
THEY DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE THE POWER
THAT WHITES HAD HAD IN THE OLD SOUTH.
Narrator: THE *** TURNS THE SOUTH
INTO A BASTION OF RACISM AND SEGREGATION.
BEFORE IT IS OUTLAWED BY CONGRESS,
IT DISAPPEARS...
...UNTIL EARLY IN THE 20th CENTURY,
WHEN EVENTS CONSPIRE TO BRING THE *** BACK TO LIFE.
[ EXPLOSION ]
WORLD WAR I.
OVER 350,000 BLACK SOLDIERS ARE CONSCRIPTED TO FIGHT
WITH THE ALLIES ON THE WESTERN FRONT.
WHEN THE WAR ENDS, MANY OF THOSE BORN IN THE SOUTH
DECIDE NOT TO GO BACK TO THE LAND OF THE OLD CONFEDERACY.
Joseph: THEY'VE BEEN OVERSEAS. THEY'VE BEEN IN EUROPE.
THEY'VE HAD DIFFERENT KINDS OF RACIAL EXPERIENCES.
THEY COME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES,
AND THE NORTH OFFERS AT LEAST A DREAM OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.
Narrator: THE BLACK POPULATION OF CITIES LIKE NEW YORK AND CHICAGO
DOUBLES AND TRIPLES.
THEY COME SEEKING NEW OPPORTUNITIES,
AND THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES.
[ FOGHORN BLARES ]
MILLIONS OF EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS FLOOD INTO AMERICA
IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.
Diner: THEY'RE GOING TO THE BIG CITIES.
NEW YORK IS THE KIND OF MOTHER OF THEM ALL --
CHICAGO, PHILADELPHIA, BOSTON, CLEVELAND, PITTSBURGH.
SO ALL OF THESE CITIES
ARE BECOMING PREDOMINANTLY IMMIGRANT CITIES.
Narrator: THE IMMIGRANTS WHO POUR INTO THE NORTH
ARE ENTREPRENEURIAL AND AMBITIOUS.
THEY THRIVE IN THE COSMOPOLITAN ATMOSPHERE.
WHILST THE NORTH BOOMS,
THE RURAL SOUTH STAGNATES, FUELING OLD HATREDS.
Diner: THE IDEA OF AN IMMIGRANT NORTH AND A WHITE SOUTH
REALLY RUNS THROUGH EARLY 20th CENTURY AMERICAN CULTURE.
IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THE SOUTHERNERS ALWAYS SAY
MAKES THEIR REGION PURER.
"WE'RE REAL AMERICANS.
THE NORTH IS MADE UP OF ITALIANS
AND JEWS AND PEOPLE WITH FUNNY NAMES."
Narrator: CONTINUED SOUTHERN HOSTILITY TO THE NORTH,
THE LAND OF IMMIGRANTS AND BLACKS,
FINDS EXPRESSION IN AN EPIC MOVIE,
"THE BIRTH OF A NATION,"
BY KENTUCKY-BORN DIRECTOR D.W. GRIFFITH.
IT IS RELEASED ON THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL WAR.
Russell: I MEAN, ONE COULD SEE "BIRTH OF A NATION"
AS AN ACT OF PROPAGANDA.
BLACKS WERE SHOWN AS ANIMALISTIC RAPISTS...
...THE KU KLUX *** WAS UPHELD AS PARAGONS OF VIRTUE,
AND IT SHOWED A NATION COMING TOGETHER,
ALBEIT UNDER THE RACIST GUISE OF THE KU KLUX ***.
Narrator: WHITE ACTORS WITH BOOT POLISH ON THEIR FACES
PLAY EVIL RUNAWAY SLAVES
FIGHTING FOR THE NORTHERN-YANKEE ARMY.
THEY ARE DEPICTED ABDUCTING AND MOLESTING TERRIFIED WOMEN
BEFORE THEIR SAVIORS APPEAR.
'COURSE, HERE RIDES THE *** INTO THE RESCUE.
THEY RESTORE DECENCY AND CIVILITY.
AND SO, THE ***'S THE HERO IN THE MOVIE.
Narrator: WHEN THE FILM IS RELEASED IN 1915,
PROTESTS AGAINST IT BREAK OUT IN NORTHERN CITIES.
BUT IN THE SOUTH, THE REACTION IS ECSTATIC.
Cunningham: WHEN "BIRTH OF A NATION" IS RELEASED,
A MAN NAMED WILLIAM J. SIMMONS USES THE ATLANTA FILM PREMIERE
TO ANNOUNCE THAT HE'S GOING TO HAVE A RALLY
AND A REBIRTH OF THE KU KLUX ***,
AND A BUNCH OF PEOPLE MARCH UP STONE MOUNTAIN,
WHICH IS OUTSIDE OF ATLANTA,
AND THEY BURN A CROSS THAT NIGHT.
Narrator: SIMMONS DECLARES HIMSELF
SO-CALLED IMPERIAL WIZARD OF THE ***
THE *** IS REBORN,
BUT THIS TIME, THE FOCUS IS DIFFERENT.
Mitchell: THEY KIND OF EXPANDED THEIR LIST OF ENEMIES.
SO IT WAS NO LONGER JUST AFRICAN AMERICANS.
THEY WERE AIMING AT IMMIGRANTS, THEY WERE AIMING AT JEWS,
THEY WERE AIMING AT CATHOLICS --
ANYONE WHO WASN'T A WHITE PROTESTANT.
THROUGHOUT OF WHICH WILL COME
A CONGLOMERATED MONGREL CLASS OF PEOPLE.
Russell: THE SECOND *** OF THE 1920s, FROM ITS FOUNDING,
SPENT MOST OF ITS TIME TALKING ABOUT, WRITING ABOUT,
COMPLAINING ABOUT LOBBYING AGAINST --
AND OFTEN DOING VIOLENCE AGAINST --
THE NEW IMMIGRANT GENERATION.
Narrator: SHORTLY AFTER THE RELEASE OF "BIRTH OF A NATION,"
THE SOUTH IS GRIPPED BY A SENSATIONAL *** CASE.
Russell: LEO FRANK WAS A JEWISH IMMIGRANT
WHO WAS ACCUSED OF MURDERING A NATIVE-BORN WHITE GIRL
IN A FACTORY CALLED MARY PHAGAN.
Narrator: AS FRANK IS SITTING IN JAIL,
THE BUILDING IS SURROUNDED BY A CROWD OF PROMINENT LOCALS,
INCLUDING A DOCTOR, A LAWYER, A JUDGE,
AND SEVERAL POLICE OFFICERS.
THEY BREAK INTO THE JAIL, DRAG FRANK OUT, LYNCH HIM,
AND MUTILATE HIS BODY.
THESE PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN OF THE ATROCITY
ARE SOLD AS POSTCARDS.
THE *** HAD VERY SPECIFIC ANTI-SEMITIC LEANINGS,
THIS NOTION THAT JEWS WERE BUYING UP THE COUNTRY,
THAT THEIR INFLUENCE WAS OUTSIZED,
THAT THEY WERE TURNING THE UNITED STATES
INTO SOMETHING THAT IT WASN'T INTENDED TO BE.
Narrator: AS HOSTILITY TO IMMIGRANTS GROWS,
THE *** SEIZES THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND.
Cunningham: WILLIAM J. SIMMONS,
WHO HAD FOUNDED THAT WAVE OF THE ***,
HIRES TWO MARKETING CONSULTANTS
NAMED EDWARD CLARKE AND ELIZABETH TYLER,
AND WHAT THEY DO
IS RECRUIT HUNDREDS OF WHAT THEY REFER TO AS KLEAGLES.
THESE ARE PAID ORGANIZERS AND RECRUITERS,
AND THEY SEND THEM OUT AROUND THE COUNTRY.
Narrator: THE SUCCESS OF THE KU KLUX *** IN RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS
BECOMES EVIDENT IN 1925
WHEN IT ORGANIZES A MARCH OF NO FEWER THAN 40,000 KLANSMEN
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Cunningham: THOUSANDS OF *** MEMBERS IN THEIR ROBES
MARCHING IN FORMATION DOWN PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE.
THIS IS A GREAT SUCCESS.
THEY HAVE A FANTASTIC TURNOUT.
IT GETS TREMENDOUS MEDIA COVERAGE.
Joseph: THAT MARCH IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE POWER OF THE ORGANIZATION,
AND IT'S REALLY TO PUT POLITICAL PRESSURE ON POLITICIANS --
THAT THE *** IS HERE, IT'S HERE TO STAY,
AND IT'S A ROBUST POLITICAL ORGANIZATION.
AND DURING THIS PERIOD, MANY POLITICIANS EMBRACED THE ***.
Narrator: RANKS OF THE *** ARE SWELLED
BY SENATORS, CONGRESSMEN, GOVERNORS, AND JUDGES.
EVEN THE FUTURE PRESIDENT HARRY TRUMAN
IS ALLEGED TO BE A MEMBER.
IT BECAME A NATIONAL POLITICAL FORCE
WITH SEVERAL MILLION MEMBERS.
Russell: THE *** WAS A MAINSTREAM ORGANIZATION.
IT WAS NOT SEEN ANY LONGER AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
IT WAS SEEN AS REPRESENTING FAMILY,
NATION, PRIDE, CITIZENSHIP, SACRIFICE FOR A NATION.
THAT'S WHAT THE *** STOOD FOR IN THE 1920s,
AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS SO POPULAR.
Narrator: THE *** USES ITS POLITICAL CLOUT
TO FORCE THROUGH A SERIES OF LAWS
RESTRICTING IMMIGRATION INTO AMERICA.
Diner: WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS, YOU KNOW,
"WE'RE GONNA CLEANSE SOCIETY."
YOU KNOW, "WE'RE GOING TO PROTECT YOU
FROM THESE IMMIGRANT HORDES."
Okrent: THEY ARE ABLE TO IMPOSE THESE LIMITS ON IMMIGRATION
THAT REALLY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE
FOR EASTERN EUROPEANS AND SOUTHERN EUROPEANS
TO IMMIGRATE FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS.
[ FOGHORN BLARES ]
Narrator: AS THE *** GROWS IN CONFIDENCE,
IT CHAMPIONS ONE OF THE MOST DRACONIAN LAWS
IN AMERICAN HISTORY --
PROHIBITION.
THIS, HOWEVER, HAS TOTALLY UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES,
FOR PROHIBITION CREATES THE GROUP
THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BRING THE *** TO ITS KNEES...
...THE MAFIA.
Narrator: FOR MUCH OF THE 20th CENTURY,
THE KU KLUX *** WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FORCES
IN AMERICAN SOCIETY.
IN THE YEARS AFTER WORLD WAR I, IT HAD MILLIONS OF MEMBERS
AND EXERTED MASSIVE POLITICAL FORCE.
BUT AT THE VERY MOMENT WHEN IT WAS MOST PROMINENT,
IT CHAMPIONED A LAW WHICH TOTALLY BACKFIRED ON IT --
PROHIBITION.
Porges: IT'S AMAZING AND HUGELY IRONIC,
BUT THE *** REALLY PUSHED FOR PROHIBITION,
AND PROHIBITION IS WHAT ALLOWED THE MODERN MAFIA TO THRIVE.
[ TIRES SQUEAL ]
Narrator: ENACTED IN OCTOBER 1919,
THE PROHIBITION LAW BANNED THE SALE OF ALCOHOL.
TEMPERANCE CAMPAIGNERS THOUGHT IT WOULD SAVE AMERICA.
THE KU KLUX *** HAD A SECONDARY AGENDA.
THE *** UNDERSTOOD SOMETHING
ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN AMERICA.
THEY UNDERSTOOD SOMETHING ABOUT IMMIGRANTS.
IMMIGRANTS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR HANDLING LIQUOR,
FOR PROVIDING LIQUOR.
THOSE WERE IMMIGRANT PHENOMENON,
SO THE *** ATTACKED THE SOURCE OF THAT.
Okrent: THE BREWERIES WERE ALL OWNED BY GERMAN FAMILIES,
SO THE PROHIBITIONISTS WERE ABLE TO POINT TO THEM
AS ENEMIES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Narrator: PROHIBITION AND ANTI-IMMIGRATION LAWS
BACKFIRE ON THE KU KLUX ***.
INSTEAD OF SUBDUING THE IMMIGRANTS,
IT HAS THE OPPOSITE EFFECT.
Raab: WHAT IT DID WAS IT LEAD TO THE EMERGENCE OF, UNDOUBTEDLY,
THE MOST POWERFUL AND VICIOUS ORGANIZED-CRIME GROUP
IN THE U.S.,
AND THAT WAS THE AMERICAN MAFIA.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
Narrator: THE MAFIA, OR "BOLD ONES" IN SICILIAN DIALECT,
JOIN OTHER IMMIGRANT CRIMINAL GANGS
IN MAKING THEIR TRANSITION
FROM PETTY HOODLUMS TO ORGANIZED CRIMINALS.
MOST ETHNIC GANGS IN THE U.S.
WERE PRIMARILY THUGS, STREET HOODLUMS, DISORGANIZED.
WHAT PROHIBITION DID WAS
IT TAUGHT THESE UNDISCIPLINED GANGS
THAT FOR THEM TO SUCCEED,
THEY'D HAVE TO BECOME WELL-ORGANIZED
AND BECOME EFFICIENT.
Narrator: PEOPLE SMUGGLING, LIQUOR SMUGGLING --
THEY START SMALL BUT GROW HUGE.
GANGS SAW THIS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY,
BECAUSE INSTEAD OF PICKING UP PEANUTS
BY MUGGING, SHAKING DOWN VENDORS,
AND DOING PETTY, SMALL, VICIOUS CRIMES,
THERE WAS ENORMOUS WEALTH TO BE MADE.
Narrator: BOOTLEGGING IS RUN BY IMMIGRANT CRIMINAL GROUPS,
IN PARTICULAR JEWS, IRISH, AND THE ITALIAN MAFIA.
THE MOB WAS VERY POPULAR IN THE UNITED STATES
IN THE 20th CENTURY FOR MANY REASONS.
ONE WAS THAT VIRTUALLY EVERY BOTTLE OF LIQUOR
THAT WAS CONSUMED DURING PROHIBITION
PASSED THROUGH THE HANDS OF A MOBSTER.
Narrator: LIQUOR IS SHIPPED FROM CANADA AND MEXICO
WITH ORGANIZED CRIMINALS DODGING AND PAYING OFF THE COAST GUARD
TO GET IT THROUGH.
EVEN MORE *** IS MANUFACTURED IN ILLICIT STILLS AND BREWERIES.
Raab: NOW, A CASE OF LIQUOR MIGHT COST YOU $100,
AND YOU COULD SELL IT FOR $1,000.
THE PROFITS WERE IMMENSE.
INSTEAD OF MAKING HUNDREDS, PERHAPS, ON A DEAL,
THEY WERE BECOMING MULTIMILLIONAIRES.
THE MAFIA WAS A BUSINESS ORGANIZATION.
I MEAN, IT HAD ONE GOAL.
THEY WANT TO MAKE PROFIT,
AND THEY OBVIOUSLY DON'T CARE IF IT'S LEGAL OR ILLEGAL,
AND, IN FACT, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IT BE ILLEGAL,
BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE BIGGEST PROFITS WERE.
Raab: WHAT PROHIBITION DID WAS
IT TURNED PRIMITIVE GANGSTERS INTO CAPITALISTS.
Narrator: THE MEN WHO PROSPER ARE THOSE
WHO CAN EFFECTIVELY COMMAND LARGE, COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS,
LIKE ARNOLD ROTHSTEIN.
ARNOLD ROTHSTEIN WAS KNOWN AS THE GREAT JEWISH BRAIN.
HE WAS THE MENTOR OF FUTURE GREATS.
WHAT HE TAUGHT
NOT JUST THE JEWISH GANGSTERS OR POTENTIAL GANGSTERS,
BUT ALSO A LOT OF ITALIAN-AMERICAN RECRUITS,
WAS THAT THERE WAS AS MUCH MONEY TO BE MADE
BY USING YOUR HEAD AS BY USING YOUR MUSCLE.
Okrent: HE WAS AN EXTREMELY ANALYTICAL MAN.
HE LIVED A VERY SEEMINGLY RESPECTABLE LIFE,
BUT HE WAS A MOBSTER OF THE FIRST ORDER.
Narrator: ROTHSTEIN ORCHESTRATES THE ACTIVITIES
AND ACTS AS MENTOR TO MOBSTERS FROM OTHER IMMIGRANT GROUPS,
LIKE THE ITALIAN MAFIA HEAD LUCKY LUCIANO
AND THE IRISH GANG BOSS LEGS DIAMOND.
Man: LEGS DIAMOND LED A CHARMED LIFE --
ARRESTED 17 TIMES, ACQUITTED 17 TIMES.
HE ATTRACTED ALL SORTS OF RECRUITS --
ITALIAN-AMERICAN, JEWISH-AMERICAN, IRISH-AMERICAN.
EVERYBODY WANTED TO BE CLOSE TO ROTHSTEIN.
SO, IN THAT SENSE, HE WAS AN EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Narrator: MOBSTERS ARE CUNNING AND EXTREMELY VIOLENT.
THEIR FAMILIES ARRIVED IN AMERICA WITH NOTHING.
THEY'VE GROWN UP STREET-SMART AND STREET-TOUGH.
THEY DON'T THINK TWICE ABOUT KILLING
TO PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS.
Okrent: THERE WAS A BELIEF AMONG MANY IN THE PROHIBITION MOVEMENT
THAT GETTING RID OF LIQUOR
WOULD LEAD TO A MORE LAW-ABIDING SOCIETY.
BUT, IN FACT, WHAT IT DID WAS THE OPPOSITE.
IT ENCOURAGED LAWLESSNESS,
BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH MONEY TO BE MADE
PROVIDING PEOPLE WITH SOMETHING THAT THEY REALLY WANTED.
Narrator: THE MOB REALIZES THAT IT'S NOT ENOUGH
TO SMUGGLE AND DISTILL ILLEGAL LIQUOR.
THEY NEED TO FIND A WAY TO SELL IT.
SO THEY GET INTO THE NIGHT-CLUB BUSINESS.
IN THE EARLY '20s, THE SPEAKEASY IS BORN,
TAKING ITS NAME FROM AN IRISH EXPRESSION
FOR THE KIND OF PLACE YOU HAVE TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT.
Raab: SPEAKEASIES WERE THESE ILLEGAL CLUBS
WHERE PEOPLE COULD DRINK
AND THAT THE LAW WAS BEING DISREGARDED.
THE POLICE COMMISSIONER OF NEW YORK, GROVER WHALEN,
ESTIMATED THERE WERE 32,000 SPEAKEASIES IN NEW YORK CITY
AT THE END OF THE 1920s.
IT WAS A PLACE TO GO HAVE FUN.
Diner: SPEAKEASIES BREAK DOWN RACIAL BARRIERS
IN AS MUCH AS BECAUSE THEY'RE OUTSIDE OF THE LAW,
THEY'RE NOT POLICED.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING IN THERE,
REGARDLESS IF THEY'RE WHITE, IF THEY'RE BLACK,
IF THEY'RE IMMIGRANT,
THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL, WHICH IS TO GET A DRINK.
Narrator: IRONICALLY, BY SUPPORTING PROHIBITION,
THE KU KLUX *** HELPS TO CREATE SPEAKEASIES...
...AND KICK-STARTS THE JAZZ AGE.
[ JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS ]
THE JAZZ AGE IS A RACIALIZED AGE.
IT'S AN AGE OF RACE MIXING.
WHITES AND BLACKS ARE CROSSING THE COLOR LINE ILLICITLY.
THIS IS A CRAZY IRONY, BUT YOU COULD SAY
THAT THE *** WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE SPREAD OF JAZZ.
BY PUSHING FOR PROHIBITION,
THEY SORT OF CREATED THE NOTION OF THE SPEAKEASY,
AND THE SPEAKEASY IS WHERE JAZZ REALLY DEVELOPED.
Narrator: SPEAKEASIES ARE A SOCIAL AND MUSICAL MELTING POT
WHERE SOUTHERN BLUES AND JAZZ IS MIXED UP WITH MUSIC
FROM IRISH, ITALIAN, AND JEWISH IMMIGRANTS.
DUKE ELLINGTON, LOUIS ARMSTRONG, AND FATS WALLER
RUB SHOULDERS WITH JEWISH IMMIGRANTS
LIKE BENNY GOODMAN,
THE GERSHWINS, AND IRVING BERLIN,
AND A NEW MUSIC EMERGES THAT CROSSES RACIAL BOUNDARIES,
AND IT'S ALL SPONSORED BY THE MAFIA.
Russell: LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S FIRST PAY AS A JAZZ MUSICIAN
CAME FROM A SICILIAN MOBSTER.
THE MOB FACILITATED THE INVENTION OF JAZZ,
WHICH IS NOW CONSIDERED, OF COURSE,
AMERICA'S CLASSICAL MUSIC.
Narrator: THE NEW MUSIC REFLECTS NEW ATTITUDES.
AMERICA IS ENTERING AN ERA OF FREEDOM AND TOLERANCE.
Okrent: BEFORE PROHIBITION,
MEN AND WOMEN DID NOT DRINK TOGETHER IN PUBLIC.
MEN DRANK IN THE SALOON. WOMEN DRANK AT HOME.
AND THEN ONCE PROHIBITION COMES IN
AND THE SALOONS ARE CLOSED
AND THEN THEY REOPEN THE NEXT DAY AS SPEAKEASIES,
EVERYTHING'S UP FOR GRABS.
THE CUSTOMS ARE UP FOR GRABS,
AND WOMEN AND MEN START TO SHOW UP TOGETHER.
THE MOB BEGAN INVESTING IN GAY BARS --
THE FIRST GAY BARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
ONE OF THOSE GAY BARS BECAME THE STONEWALL INN,
WHICH GAVE RISE TO THE GAY LIBERATION MOVEMENT
OF THE 1970s AND 1980s.
Narrator: THE ***, OF COURSE, IS HORRIFIED BY ALL THIS.
KLANSMEN HATE THE VERY IDEA OF THE SPEAKEASY,
HATE THE FACT THAT IT BRINGS RACES TOGETHER,
HATE THE NEW KIND OF MUSIC THAT FLOWS FROM IT,
AND THEY KNOW WHO TO BLAME.
THE *** INSISTED THAT JAZZ
WAS DESTROYING AMERICAN CULTURE FROM WITHIN,
AND ONE COULD ARGUE THAT, IN FACT, IT WAS.
Diner: SO THE *** SEES BOOTLEGGING
AND ALL THE OTHER NEFARIOUS ACTIVITIES
OF THE VARIOUS IMMIGRANTS
AS JUST GREAT EVIDENCE.
"SEE? WE TOLD YOU ALL ALONG THAT THEY WERE A DANGER."
Narrator: IN THE SOUTH IN PARTICULAR, THE *** SMASHES UP AND BURNS
ILLICIT STILLS, BREWERIES, AND SPEAKEASIES.
THEY HUNT DOWN AND LYNCH BOOTLEGGERS.
THEY ATTACKED SALOONS.
THEY ATTACKED CLUBS THAT SOLD ALCOHOL ILLEGALLY.
THEY OFTEN BURNED DOWN THOSE DANCE HALLS AND SALOONS.
THE KU KLUX *** BECAME, ESSENTIALLY,
A VIGILANTE POLICE FORCE HELPING TO ENFORCE PROHIBITION.
THEY WERE SORT OF A PARAMILITARY WING
OF PROHIBITION.
Narrator: BUT THE *** DOESN'T DARE
SMASH UP SPEAKEASIES IN THE NORTHERN CITIES,
THE MAFIA'S HOME GROUND.
WHEN IT COMES TO RUTHLESS ORGANIZED VIOLENCE,
THE *** IS NO MATCH FOR THE MOB.
THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE MAFIA AND THE ***
IS LIKE A STRANGE RERUN OF THE CIVIL WAR.
THE MOB IS STRONG IN THE URBAN NORTH
AND IS MOSTLY REPUBLICAN.
THE *** IS STRONG IN THE RURAL SOUTH
AND IS MOSTLY DEMOCRAT.
Cunningham: THE ***'S DEALINGS WITH IMMIGRANT GROUPS
AND THE SORTS OF ACTIVITIES THAT THEY'RE INVOLVED WITH
IN THIS POINT IN THE 20th CENTURY
REALLY IS ABOUT WHAT AMERICA WILL LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
Narrator: THE WAR BETWEEN THE *** AND THE MAFIA
WILL CONNECT DIVERSE GROUPS AND CREATE UNEXPECTED ALLIANCES.
IN ITS NEXT STAGE,
IT WILL MOVE TO PERHAPS THE MOST UNEXPECTED ARENA OF ALL --
HOLLYWOOD.
Narrator: IN THE 1920s, THE KU KLUX *** CHAMPIONED PROHIBITION,
AND IN DOING SO,
IT HELPED CREATE THE HIDDEN ORGANIZATION
THAT WOULD COME TO DESTROY IT --
THE MAFIA.
IN THE WAR BETWEEN THESE TWO GROUPS,
PROPAGANDA BECAME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT,
AND THAT'S WHERE HOLLYWOOD PLAYS A SURPRISING BUT IMPORTANT ROLE.
BY THE EARLY 1920s, CINEMA HAS REALLY TAKEN OFF,
AND THERE'S A HUGE NEW MARKET FOR MASS ENTERTAINMENT.
THE PIONEERS IN THIS NEW INDUSTRY
ARE NOT SUPPORTERS OF THE *** FROM THE RURAL SOUTH
BUT ENTERPRISING IMMIGRANTS FROM NEW YORK,
MANY WITH A BACKGROUND IN SHOW BUSINESS.
JEWS REALLY PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN HOLLYWOOD,
FROM THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE MOVIES,
THE SCRIPT WRITERS, THE INVESTORS,
ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE MOVIE THEATERS.
Narrator: ALMOST ALL THE MAJOR HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS,
FROM PARAMOUNT TO 20th CENTURY FOX
TO COLUMBIA AND UNIVERSAL,
ARE FOUNDED BY IMMIGRANT JEWS FROM NEW YORK,
MEN LIKE LOUIS B. MAYER, SAM GOLDWYN, AND WILLIAM FOX.
THE *** HAS A HUGE AGENDA AGAINST THE MOVIES.
THE MOVIES ARE THE AGENTS
OF THIS JEWISH PLOT TO TAKE OVER AMERICA.
Narrator: THE FIRST TALKIE, "THE JAZZ SINGER,"
IS ABOUT A JEWISH BOY WHO EMBRACES BLACK MUSIC.
HE'S PLAYED BY REAL-LIFE JEWISH JAZZ SINGER AL JOLSON.
HOLLYWOOD MAKES JAZZ AND THE WORLD OF THE SPEAKEASIES SEXY.
TO THE ***, HOLLYWOOD IS ALMOST LIKE THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP.
Narrator: IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT JEWISH MOVIE MOGULS
DO NOT PRODUCE FILMS LIKE D.W. GRIFFITH'S "BIRTH OF A NATION."
[ GUNSHOTS ]
INSTEAD, THEY CREATE ICONIC GANGSTERS IN MOVIES
LIKE "LITTLE CAESAR," "THE PUBLIC ENEMY,"
AND "UNDERWORLD."
DON'T SHOOT YOUR GUN!
Raab: IF YOU LOOK AT THEM,
"HEY, THEY'VE BEEN HAVING A HELL OF A GOOD TIME,
THEY MAKE A LOT OF MONEY, THEY HAVE A LOT OF ADVENTURES,
PLENTY OF GOOD-LOOKING WOMEN AROUND THEM,
AND THEY DEFY AUTHORITY."
Narrator: CHICAGO GANGSTER AL CAPONE
IS IMMORTALIZED IN THE MOVIE "SCARFACE."
HE LIKES IT SO MUCH THAT HE BUYS HIS OWN PRINT.
GANGSTERS LIKE GEORGE RAFT EVEN BECOME MOVIE STARS.
Diner: THE MOVIES ARE JUST PHENOMENALLY POPULAR,
AND SO, EVEN IN TOWNS WHERE THE *** HOLDS SWAY,
PEOPLE CAN'T GET ENOUGH MOVIES.
Russell: VARIETY MAGAZINE IN 1931 CONDUCTED A POLL OF ITS READERS
AND FOUND THAT GANGSTERS WERE THE SECOND-MOST POPULAR PEOPLE
IN AMERICA AT THAT TIME AFTER MOVIE STARS.
Narrator: HOLLYWOOD GLAMORIZES THE MAFIA
AND DOES THE OPPOSITE TO THE KU KLUX ***.
I AM A MEMBER OF THE KU KLUX *** --
READY ALWAYS TO SHOW MY HAND BUT NEVER MY FACE.
A GOOD REPORTER COULD DIG UP A LOT OF STUFF ABOUT THE ***,
COULDN'T HE?
RONALD REAGAN, DORIS DAY, AND GINGER ROGERS
STAR IN THE 1951 MOVIE "STORM WARNING,"
AND ALL-OUT DENUNCIATION OF THE ***
HEAR THAT YELLING OUT THERE?
THAT'S THE ***.
DON'T FORCE US TO SHOW YOU HOW WE HANDLE PEOPLE.
WE'RE THE LAW HERE. WE'RE THE JUDGES AND THE JURY.
HOLLYWOOD DENIGRATES THE ***
AND TURNS THE MAFIA INTO A POWERFUL FORCE
IN POPULAR CULTURE.
THIS PATTERN IS REPEATED
IN THE NEXT CONNECTION IN OUR EPIC BATTLE --
J. EDGAR HOOVER.
HOLLYWOOD'S ALREADY KIND OF FIGHTING
THEIR OWN BATTLE AGAINST THE ***,
AND THEN HOOVER COMES ALONG,
AND HE BECOMES ANOTHER POWERFUL FORCE AGAINST THEM.
Narrator: J. EDGAR HOOVER RAN THE MOST FAMOUS LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
IN U.S. HISTORY.
Man: DIRECTOR HOOVER SUPERVISING FIELD PRACTICE.
Narrator: AND YET, FOR ALL HIS CRIME-FIGHTING ZEAL,
HE WAS OFTEN ACCUSED OF GOING EASY ON THE MAFIA.
J. EDGAR HOOVER WAS VERY RELUCTANT
TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT THERE WAS SO-CALLED ORGANIZED CRIME IN AMERICA.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
Raab: LAW ENFORCEMENT DISREGARDED AND IGNORED
THE MOB OR THE MAFIA
FOR SO MANY YEARS
THAT IT HAD A FREE REIGN IN ANYTHING IT WANTED TO DO.
Narrator: WITH THE ***, IT WAS DIFFERENT.
IT'S GONNA BE NECESSARY TO ENLARGE THE DETAIL OF AGENTS
IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.
THOUGH NEVER PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED BY HOOVER HIMSELF,
THIS BATTLE MAY HAVE HAD A PERSONAL DIMENSION.
THERE IS A THEORY THAT HIS FATHER'S FAMILY WERE PASSING,
THAT THEY WERE PARTIALLY AFRICAN AMERICAN.
FOR MOST PEOPLE, THE IMAGE THEY HAVE OF HIM
IS WHO HE WAS AT THE END OF HIS LIFE --
THIS PALE GUY WITH LIVER SPOTS WHO SEEMS AS WHITE AS CAN BE.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT PHOTOS OF HIM IN THE 1920s,
HE'S VERY DARK -- VERY, VERY DARK.
IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT THE PRESSURE OF THIS
MAY HAVE REALLY FORMED SOMETHING IN HIS CHARACTER.
Narrator: THERE'S NO DOUBT, HOWEVER, THAT HOOVER SCORED A HUGE BLOW
AGAINST THE *** IN THE EARLY 1920s
WHEN HE SENT HIS AGENTS IN TO INVESTIGATE
A PARTICULARLY BRUTAL OUTBREAK OF *** VIOLENCE IN LOUISIANA.
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
IT WASN'T EASY, THOUGH.
WHEN HE REALIZES THAT JURIES IN LOUISIANA
ARE NOT GONNA CONVICT *** MEMBERS,
HE DECIDES TO FIND OTHER MEANS TO ATTACK THEM.
Narrator: HOOVER FINDS A WAY.
HE TELLS HIS AGENTS TO SPY ON EDWARD YOUNG CLARKE,
THE SO-CALLED IMPERIAL KLEAGLE OF THE ***.
RUMORS SWIRL AROUND HIM OF FRAUD AND ADULTERY.
HOOVER'S FBI AGENTS TAIL CLARKE
UNTIL THEY CATCH HIM CROSSING THE LOUISIANA STATE LINE
WITH A ***.
THIS IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE AND ALLOWS THE FBI TO ACT.
THE FBI's EXPOSé ROCKS THE ***.
MORE REVELATIONS FOLLOW,
AND *** MEMBERSHIP PLUMMETS FROM SEVERAL MILLION
TO A HARD CORE OF AROUND 30,000, MAINLY BASED IN THE SOUTH.
AT THE SAME TIME AS THE ***'S INFLUENCE IS WANING,
SO, TOO, IS SUPPORT FOR PROHIBITION.
IN 1933, IT IS REPEALED.
BUT IN THE SOUTH WELL INTO THE 1950s,
THE *** REMAINS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
ANYONE DEEMED TO BE COLORED
CONTINUES TO SUFFER TERRIBLE DISCRIMINATION.
Joseph: SEGREGATION IS NOT ONLY THE LAW OF THE LAND,
BUT IT'S ALSO A CUSTOM.
THE IDEA THAT BLACKS ARE NOT CALLED
BY THEIR PROPER NAMES --
THERE'S NO MISTER OR MRS.
IT WAS ALWAYS BOY AND GIRL.
MEN ARE CALLED JOHN IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT THEIR NAMES ARE.
Narrator: IN THE NEXT STAGE OF THE LONG WAR AGAINST THE KU KLUX ***,
A NEW GROUP WILL ENTER THE FRAY.
THEY WILL HAVE A SURPRISINGLY PROFOUND EFFECT
AND BRING A POWERFUL NEW WEAPON INTO THE BATTLE --
CELEBRITY.
Narrator: IT'S THE EARLY 1950s,
AND THE KU KLUX *** REMAINS A POWERFUL FORCE
IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH.
THEIR CULTURE OF INTOLERANCE AND INTIMIDATION
IS ABOUT TO BE CHALLENGED
BY A SMALL BUT SURPRISINGLY EFFECTIVE GROUP
WHO LOATHE EVERYTHING THEY STAND FOR --
THE RAT PACK.
Porges: THE RAT PACK LINKS US BACK TO HOLLYWOOD
AND THE WAY MOVIES WERE USED TO FIGHT THE ***.
THEY WERE CELEBRITIES,
AND THEY USED THEIR STATUS TO BATTLE RACISM.
Narrator: THE RAT PACK IS AN INFORMAL GANG OF HOLLYWOOD DRINKING PALS
FOUNDED BY SCREEN GANGSTER HUMPHREY BOGART.
ITS MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES
VARIOUSLY INCLUDE ITALIAN CATHOLICS
LIKE FRANK SINATRA AND DEAN MARTIN,
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS
LIKE NAT KING COLE AND ELLA FITZGERALD,
AND JEWISH ENTERTAINERS
LIKE JOEY BISHOP AND SAMMY DAVIS JR.,
WHO WAS BOTH BLACK AND A JEWISH CONVERT.
THEY'D DRINK A LOT, AND THEY MAKE A LOT OF JOKES ABOUT SEX,
THEY MAKE A LOT OF JOKES ABOUT THEIR DRINKING,
SO IT'S PRETTY SHADY KIND OF STUFF,
BUT THEY ALL SEEMED TO JUST LOVE EACH OTHER'S COMPANY.
Narrator: TO THE RACIST PURITANICAL KU KLUX ***,
THE RAT PACK REPRESENTS EVERYTHING
THAT'S BAD ABOUT MODERN AMERICA.
RIGHT FROM THE START, THEY USE THEIR CELEBRITY
TO CHAMPION THE CAUSE OF INTEGRATION AND TOLERANCE,
LIKE IN THE 1945 FILM "THE HOUSE I LIVE IN,"
WHICH FRANK SINATRA MAKES WITH JEWISH PRODUCER MERVYN LeROY.
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
LOOK, FELLAS, RELIGION MAKES NO DIFFERENCE,
EXCEPT MAYBE TO A NAZI OR SOMEBODY AS STUPID.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS WONDERFUL COUNTRY IS MADE OF?
IT'S MADE UP OF 100 DIFFERENT KIND OF PEOPLE
AND 100 DIFFERENT WAYS OF TALKING
AND 100 DIFFERENT WAYS OF GOING TO CHURCH,
BUT THEY'RE ALL AMERICAN WAYS.
Diner: IN THE AMERICA OF THE RAT PACK,
A BLACK PERSON AND A WHITE PERSON
CAN BE KIND OF HUGGING EACH OTHER ON THE STAGE.
IT WAS A VERY POWERFUL STATEMENT TO AMERICA
THAT RACE SHOULDN'T MATTER.
Narrator: NOT SURPRISINGLY, THEIR MESSAGE AND THEIR BEHAVIOR
DON'T GO DOWN WELL WITH THE ***.
Cunningham: THE *** IN THE 1950s AND 1960s
HAD A VERY STRICT SENSE OF WHAT WAS CULTURALLY ACCEPTABLE
IN TERMS OF THEIR VALUE SYSTEM.
AND GROUPS LIKE THE RAT PACK THAT WERE INTEGRATED
WERE SEEN AS THE EMBODIMENT OF AN AMERICA THAT HAD GONE WRONG.
Narrator: FOR THE KU KLUX ***,
THE RAT PACK IS AN EVEN BIGGER THREAT THAN JEWISH HOLLYWOOD.
AS THE RAT PACK KIND OF HITS AT THE AGE OF TELEVISION,
IT THEN ENTERS, YOU KNOW, INTO PEOPLE'S HOMES
IN AN EVEN MORE INTIMATE LEVEL THAN THE MOVIES DID.
[ HORN HONKS ]
Cunningham: THE SOUTH DURING THIS PERIOD,
AND THIS IS TRUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE 1960s,
REMAINED UNWILLING TO SHOW PORTRAYALS
OF AN INTEGRATED AMERICA IN ANY FORM
ON TELEVISION OR RADIO,
AND THEY LITERALLY WOULD CUT OUT PORTIONS OF PROGRAMS.
Narrator: THE RAT PACK ISN'T JUST A GOOD-TIME CLUB.
IT ACTIVELY CONFRONTS SEGREGATION.
FRANK SINATRA REFUSES TO PERFORM AT HOTELS
THAT WON'T ALLOW SAMMY DAVIS JR. TO STAY THE NIGHT
AND BE BOTH A GUEST AND A PERFORMER.
IN THE 1940s, HE'S APPEARING IN ADS
THAT ARE AGAINST RACIAL SEGREGATION
BOTH IN THE MILITARY AND JUST IN THE UNITED STATES AT LARGE.
Narrator: WHEN AMERICA'S FAVORITE CROONER
CONNECTS WITH PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL JOHN F. KENNEDY,
IT SIGNALS A SHIFT CHANGE IN AMERICAN POLITICS.
IN THE 1950s, BLACK AMERICANS TEND TO VOTE REPUBLICAN.
MARTIN LUTHER KING IS A SUPPORTER OF PRESIDENT EISENHOWER.
DEMOCRATS LIKE AL GORE SR. AND JOHN F. KENNEDY
ACTUALLY VOTE AGAINST CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION.
BUT WHEN KENNEDY DECIDES TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT, ALL THAT CHANGES.
WHEN KENNEDY CAME OUT AGAINST SEGREGATION,
IT WAS THIS INCREDIBLY CRUCIAL MOMENT
IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICS
AND THE FIGHT AGAINST THE ***.
KENNEDY CHANGED WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY STOOD FOR
WHEN IT CAME TO THE WHOLE RACE ISSUE.
Narrator: JFK IS NOT A TYPICAL DEMOCRAT.
HE'S A BOSTON CATHOLIC
WHOSE FATHER, JOE, IS RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN A BOOTLEGGER.
JOE KENNEDY ALLEGEDLY ASKS SINATRA
FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE MAFIA.
SINATRA IS PERSONAL FRIENDS WITH MAFIA LEADERS
LIKE CARLO GAMBINO AND LUCKY LUCIANO.
THE MOB CONTROLS THE UNIONS,
AND KENNEDY NEEDS THE SUPPORT OF ORGANIZED LABOR TO GET ELECTED.
Porges: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
KENNEDY, SINATRA, THE MOB, ORGANIZED LABOR --
NO ONE'S REALLY QUITE SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE,
BUT THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT WHEN KENNEDY WON,
HE REALLY DID SHAKE THINGS UP.
John: 100 YEARS OF DELAY HAVE PASSED
SINCE PRESIDENT LINCOLN FREED THE SLAVES,
YET THEIR HEIRS, THEIR GRANDSONS ARE NOT FULLY FREE.
IF AN AMERICAN, BECAUSE HIS SKIN IS DARK,
CANNOT EAT LUNCH IN A RESTAURANT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,
IF HE CANNOT SEND HIS CHILDREN
TO THE BEST PUBLIC SCHOOL AVAILABLE,
IF HE CANNOT VOTE FOR THE PUBLIC OFFICIALS
WHO REPRESENT HIM,
THEN WHO AMONG US WOULD BE CONTENT
TO HAVE THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN CHANGED
AND STAND IN HIS PLACE?
♪ WE SHALL OVERCOME SOMEDAY ♪
Narrator: IN THE SOUTH,
KENNEDY'S REJECTION OF SEGREGATION
AND THE GROWTH OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
PROVOKES A BITTER BACKLASH.
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
Mitchell: PEOPLE BEGIN JOINING THE *** ALL ACROSS THE SOUTH.
THE *** VIEWED THEMSELVES, AGAIN,
AS THE KIND OF THE SAVIORS OF THE SOUTH.
"WE'RE GONNA SAVE THE SOUTH JUST LIKE WE DID BEFORE,
AND WE'RE GONNA PUT A STOP TO THIS NONSENSE,"
AS THEY VIEWED IT.
Narrator: A NEW ULTRAVIOLENT WING EMERGES --
THE WHITE KNIGHTS.
THEY PUBLICLY THREATEN TO ATTACK ANY CIVIL RIGHTS WORKERS.
Mitchell: THE WHITE KNIGHTS OF THE KU KLUX ***
WAS THE MOST VIOLENT *** ORGANIZATION
IN THE UNITED STATES,
RESPONSIBLE FOR AT LEAST 10 KILLINGS THAT WE KNOW OF.
THE IDEA WAS, "WE'RE NOT GONNA FIGHT THEM ON THE STREETS.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE THEM OUT AT NIGHT."
SO, THEY WERE BOMBING AFRICAN AMERICANS' HOUSES,
CHURCHES.
IT CULMINATED IN 1963
WHEN THEY BOMBED A CHURCH THAT KILLED FOUR LITTLE GIRLS.
Cunningham: THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS A HUGE STORY NATIONALLY
AND PROVOKED OUTRAGE ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY
AGAINST ANY GROUP WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO TARGET
WHAT WERE SEEN AS DEFENSELESS CHILDREN.
♪ WE SHALL OVERCOME SOMEDAY ♪
Narrator: WITH *** VIOLENCE SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL,
THE STAGE IS SET FOR A FINAL DRAMATIC CONFRONTATION...
A CONFRONTATION IN WHICH A MAFIA HIT MAN
WILL PLAY A DECISIVE ROLE.
[ GUNSHOTS ]
Narrator: IN THE EARLY 1960s,
THE LONG WAR BETWEEN THE MAFIA AND THE KU KLUX ***
COMES TO CLIMAX.
AFTER ATTACKS ON BLACK CHURCHES AND CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS,
THE AMERICAN SOUTH IS A BATTLEFIELD.
HUNDREDS OF ACTIVISTS ARRIVE FROM THE NORTH
TO CAMPAIGN FOR CIVIL RIGHTS.
ONE NEW YORKER WILL PLAY A DECISIVE ROLE.
HIS NAME -- MICKEY SCHWERNER.
Mitchell: HE STOOD FOR EVERYTHING THEY DESPISED.
HE, IN THEIR MINDS, WAS A HIPPIE.
HE WAS FROM NEW YORK. HE WAS JEWISH.
HE WAS VIEWED AS SATAN, YOU KNOW,
AND THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, "LET'S JUST TAKE HIM OUT.
WE'LL SOLVE OUR PROBLEM."
Narrator: IN THE SUMMER OF 1964,
MICKEY SCHWERNER AND TWO COLLEAGUES,
ANDREW GOODMAN, ANOTHER NEW YORK JEW,
AND A LOCAL BLACK CATHOLIC JAMES CHANEY
SET OUT ON A VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE.
WHEN THEY REACHED THE SMALL TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA,
THEY ARE SPOTTED BY A DEPUTY SHERIFF,
A WHITE KNIGHT OF THE KU KLUX ***.
HE DETAINS THEM AND SPREADS THE WORD TO HIS COLLEAGUES.
AND WHENEVER THE CIVIL RIGHTS WORKERS
ARE RELEASED FROM JAIL THAT NIGHT,
THE KLANSMEN ARE WAITING.
Narrator: AS THEY DRIVE AWAY ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA,
THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY TWO CARLOADS OF KLANSMEN
AND A POLICE CAR.
Mitchell: AND THEY CHASE THEM DOWN, THEY CATCH THEM,
AND THEY SHOOT THEM -- ALL THREE OF THEM.
Narrator: TWO DAYS LATER, THE BURNT-OUT CAR IS FOUND,
BUT THE BODIES ARE MISSING.
SHOCK TURNS TO OUTRAGE.
THE DISAPPEARANCES IN MANY WAYS GALVANIZED THE MOVEMENT.
IT BECAME A NATIONAL NEWS STORY.
A GREAT AMOUNT OF SYMPATHY WAS GENERATED BY THIS
AMONG PEOPLE IN THE NORTH AND EVEN AMONG WHITES IN THE SOUTH.
THE FACT THAT ONE WAS BLACK AND TWO WERE WHITE
MADE THEM, ALSO, SYMBOLS OF INTEGRATION.
THEY WERE YOUNG, THEY WERE COLLEGE-EDUCATED,
THEY WERE GOOD BOYS, AND NOW THEY WERE DEAD.
Narrator: FOR A SECOND TIME IN HIS CAREER,
HOOVER MOVES AGAINST THE ***,
FLYING DOWN TO MISSISSIPPI
TO LAUNCH A MAJOR FBI INVESTIGATION.
Cunningham: HOOVER ESTABLISHES THE FIRST FBI FIELD OFFICE
IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI,
AND HE MOVES ABOUT 150 AGENTS TO THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
TO INVESTIGATE.
Narrator: UNDER POLITICAL PRESSURE TO GET A RESULT AND GET IT QUICKLY,
THE FULL FORCE OF THE FBI IS UNLEASHED AGAINST THE ***
IN OPERATION MIBURN -- MISSISSIPPI BURNING.
THIS MAY BE A PROLONGED EFFORT,
BUT IT WILL BE CONTINUED UNTIL IT IS SOLVED,
UNTIL WE FIND THE BODIES OF THOSE THREE MEN
THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED
AND THE PERSONS WHO MAY BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THEIR DISAPPEARANCE.
Narrator: BUT THE FBI IS CONFRONTED WITH A WALL OF SILENCE.
MANY LOCAL POLICEMEN ARE KLANSMEN
OR SYMPATHETIC TO THEIR AIMS,
BUT HOOVER INTENDS TO USE ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
Cunningham: THE FBI ADOPTED A WHOLE RANGE OF TACTICS
TO TRY TO PRESSURE PEOPLE INTO PROVIDING THEM
WITH INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE THE BODIES WERE BURIED,
WHAT HAD ACTUALLY HAPPENED THAT NIGHT.
Narrator: HOWEVER, EVEN WHEN THE FBI MAKE ARRESTS,
LOCAL JURIES AND JUDGES REFUSE TO COOPERATE,
AND SUSPECTS GO FREE.
Cunningham: THE FBI HAD WHAT IT VIEWED AS A PUBLIC RELATIONS NIGHTMARE.
THIS IS THE PREEMINENT POLICE FORCE IN THE COUNTRY
UNABLE TO SOLVE A CRIME THAT EVERYONE WAS WATCHING EVERYDAY.
Narrator: THE WHITE KNIGHT'S TERROR CAMPAIGN CONTINUES.
IN 1966, THEY FIREBOMB THE HOME
OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST VERNON DAHMER.
HE DIES A DAY LATER.
THE FBI MAKES AN EXTRAORDINARY MOVE.
THEY TURN TO THE ORGANIZATION THAT CAN MATCH THE ***
FOR VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION --
THE MOB.
HOW SHOCKING IS IT THE FBI USED THE MAFIA?
I GUESS IT IS KIND OF SHOCKING IF YOU THINK ABOUT THAT.
Narrator: THE FBI APPROACHES THE CHIEF ENFORCER
OF ONE OF THE FIVE FAMILIES
WHO RUN ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK --
GREGORY SCARPA.
Cunningham: SCARPA'S SOMEBODY WHO WAS WELL-KNOWN.
ONE OF HIS NICKNAMES WAS "THE GRIM REAPER."
HE WAS SOMEONE WHO HAD BOTH BEEN INVOLVED
IN JUST SCORES OF VIOLENT ACTS, INCLUDING MURDERS,
BUT ALSO SOMEONE WHO WAS KNOWN
AS HAVING THE ABILITY TO EXTRACT JUST ABOUT ANY INFORMATION
HE WANTED FROM NEARLY ANYONE.
Mitchell: BY THIS POINT IN TIME,
THE FBI IS WANTING TO KIND OF FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE.
"IF YOU'RE GONNA BE VIOLENT AGAINST THESE PEOPLE,
THEN WE'RE GONNA RETALIATE."
Cunningham: SCARPA WENT TO ONE OF THE *** SUSPECTS,
A GUY NAMED LAWRENCE BYRD WHO OWNED AN ELECTRONICS STORE,
AND ON PRETEXT, WENT AND BOUGHT A TV FROM BYRD,
AND THEN ASKED BYRD TO HELP HIM CARRY IT OUT TO HIS CAR.
AND WHEN BYRD WAS KIND OF LEANING IN,
SCARPA PUSHED HIM IN THE CAR.
Narrator: SCARPA DRIVES BYRD OUT OF TOWN
TO A SECRET LOCATION.
[ MAN GRUNTING ]
SCARPA PISTOL-WHIPPED HIM, BEAT HIM SEVERELY,
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, BYRD,
WHO WAS KNOWN AS THIS VERY TOUGH LOCAL *** MEMBER,
WAS WILLING TO WRITE OUT A 22-PAGE CONFESSION.
IN THEIR MIND, THEY WERE TRYING TO BREAK THE ***, I THINK,
IS WHAT THEIR -- THE FBI's MENTALITY.
BUT, OBVIOUSLY, THEY CROSSED A LINE.
WE HAVE TO BE HONEST ABOUT THAT.
Narrator: IN 1968,
BYRD AND THREE KLANSMEN ARE CONVICTED OF ***.
THE WHITE KNIGHTS ARE DEALT A BLOW
FROM WHICH THEY NEVER RECOVER.
AND THE HUGE IRONY
IS THAT THE *** HAS BEEN BROUGHT DOWN
BY THE VERY BODY THAT IT HELPED TO CREATE --
THE AMERICAN MAFIA.
Russell: THE KU KLUX *** HAS BEEN FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE.
THEY WERE FIGHTING AGAINST THE INTRODUCTION OF EX-SLAVES
INTO AMERICAN SOCIETY AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,
THEY WERE FIGHTING AGAINST
THE ADVENT OF AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE IN THE 1920s,
AND THEY WERE FIGHTING AGAINST INTEGRATION
IN THE 1950s AND 1960s.
THESE WERE ALL THINGS
THAT BECAME POPULAR AMONG MOST AMERICANS.
Narrator: THE DOWNFALL OF THE ***
WAS A RESULT OF A LONG CHAIN OF CONNECTIONS.
FOR DECADES,
ITS MEMBERS BURNED, LYNCHED, AND BOMBED WITH CALLOUS BRUTALITY.
BUT BY A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE,
WHEN THEY CHAMPIONED PROHIBITION,
THEY CREATED AN ORGANIZATION
THAT MORE THAN MATCHED THEM FOR CRIMINALITY AND VIOLENCE.
THE SECRET WAR BETWEEN THE *** AND THE MAFIA
WAS MORE THAN JUST A VICIOUS TURF WAR BETWEEN RIVAL GANGS
BUT AN EPIC BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF AMERICA,
A HIDDEN HISTORY
WHOSE OUTCOME WAS AS UNEXPECTED AS IT WAS SIGNIFICANT.