Category: Crime
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FBI: No Time For Organized Crime
Kefauver’s hearings on organized crime exposed just how little the FBI was doing to combat the problem. So they learned their lesson from that, right? Yeah… not so much.
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Estes Kefauver: Not an Organization Man
Kefauver was a principled politician, which cause stumbling blocks for his ambitions. In particular, his refusal to build a political organization made his campaigns harder than they had to be… and may have been hazardous to his health.
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Kefauver at the Movies: “The Racket”
“The Racket” was a remake of a ’20s movie about Al Capone. With the Kefauver crime hearings captivating America, the producers tried to tweak it in order to ride that popular wave… to the point of offering a role to Kefauver himself.
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Kefauver at the Movies: “The Enforcer”
A Humphrey Bogart movie about the mob came out while the Kefauver organized crime hearings were sweeping the nation. So why not…. get Kefauver to put in an appearance?
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Sing Along With Keef, Part 2: “Senator From Tennessee”
Estes Kefauver’s probe of organized crime turned him into a national hero, and inspired movies, TV shows… and even songs. Here’s a song that speaks to Kefauver’s crime-busting reputation.
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Kefauver and LBJ: Two Paths to Power
Estes Kefauver and Lyndon Johnson had a number of things in common: two liberal-leaning, ambitious Southern Democrats who joined the Senate in the same year. But their approach to politics – and the pursuit of power – couldn’t have been more different.
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Sing Along with Keef: “Estes Is Bestes”
The song most associated with Kefauver was “The Tennessee Waltz,” for better or for worse (and definitely for worse after a long campaign). But there’s a long-forgotten campaign song that captures his folk-hero appeal.
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Boom!
The transcripts of the organized crime hearings include a reference to a then-current pop song. Check out the song here, but beware: it’s a real earworm.
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Requiem for a Heavyweight: Kefauver Takes On Boxing
Think Estes Kefauver only faced off with organized crime once? Think again. A decade after the hearings that made him famous, Kefauver took on the mob again… and tried to clean up boxing.
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Kefauver at the Movies: “The Captive City”
A look at a 1952 movie inspired by the Kefauver Committee organized crime hearings… featuring an appearance from the Senator himself.
Estes Kefauver for President 