The Sinatra Files (36 page)

With regard to subversive matters, it is interesting to note that in March, 1960, Governor Wesley Powell of New Hampshire (a staunch Nixon supporter) accused Senator Kennedy of “softness toward communism.” Kennedy called upon the Vice President to repudiate Powell’s accusation, and Nixon’s press representative issued a statement in Washington saying “the Vice President has known and worked with Senator Kennedy since they served together on the House Labor Committee in 1947. While they have differences on some issues, they have always been in complete agreement in their unalterable opposition to communism at home and abroad.”

MISCELLANEOUS:

As you are aware, allegations of immoral activities on Senator Kennedy’s part have been reported to the FBI over the years. These allegations are not being treated in detail in this memorandum. They include, however, data reflecting that Kennedy carried on an illicit relationship with another man’s wife during World War II; that (probably in January, 1960) Kennedy was “compromised” with a woman in Las Vegas; and that Kennedy and Frank Sinatra have in the recent past been involved in parties in Palm Springs, Las Vegas and New York City. Regarding the Kennedy-Sinatra information,
“Confidential” magazine is said to have affidavits from two mulatto prostitutes in New York.

Allegations also have been received concerning hoodlum connections of Senator Kennedy. Again, in the interest of brevity, no effort is being made to list these allegations in full detail—much of the information being unsubstantiated. In March, 1960, for example, it was reported that Frank Sinatra has purposely cultivated Kennedy’s brother-in-law (actor Peter Lawford) and that Sinatra would assist in Kennedy’s campaign so that Joe Fischetti and other notorious hoodlums could have an entre to the Senator.

Regarding Kennedy’s book, “Profiles in Courage,” George Sokolsky advised L. B. Nichols in May, 1957, of a rumor circulating in New York to the effect that Arthur Krock actually wrote the book. According to Sokolsky, a group of New York people were attempting to verify whether Krock did, in fact, write the book—and if Krock did, they were going to charge fraud in connection with the awarding of a Pulitzer Prize to Kennedy.

    
Though the previous memo mentions questions about the integrity of Kennedy’s crucial breakthrough victory in the West Virginia primary, books by biographer Kitty Kelley and Sinatra’s daughter Nancy tell a fuller story
.

Kelley’s biography reported that Sinatra’s pals, Chicago boss Giancana and associate Paul “Skinny” D’Amato, exerted influence on local political machines in the state to deliver votes for Kennedy. Nancy Sinatra’s book said Joseph Kennedy himself suggested to Sinatra that he enlist Giancana’s help, though she contends her father made sure his friend knew that his assistance was “not a quid pro quo” with the future president. Seymour Hersh’s
The Dark Side of Camelot
alleges that Giancana also helped deliver Chicago votes to secure Illinois in the general election
.

Giancana’s motives were transparent: In 1957, Hoover had begun a “Top Hoodlum Program” that targeted, among many others, Giancana and his Chicago operation. He desperately wanted to get the FBI off his back. His agreement to help was all the more remarkable in that Jack Kennedy had served on Senator John McClellan’s rackets committee, which relentlessly investigated the mob for years. Robert Kennedy served as the
panel’s chief counsel—and publicly ridiculed Giancana when he invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying
.

At some point, Hoover became aware of dealings between Joseph Kennedy and the mob, as evidenced by this entry in a June 8, 1964, summary of information in Sinatra’s FBI files. The information came from a source whose name the FBI redacted. A visit by Giancana to the hotel mentioned here would later cause Sinatra considerable difficulty
.

    
advised that he had heard from numerous sources that prior to the last presidential election, Joseph Kennedy (father of John F. Kennedy) had been visited by many gangsters (not identified) who had gambling interests. A deal was made which resulted in Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others obtaining a lucrative gambling establishment, the Cal-Neva Hotel, at Lake Tahoe, California. Joseph Kennedy was staying at the Cal-Neva at the time of the meeting.

    
Two weeks after the Democratic convention, DeLoach got more sex tidbits on Kennedy and Sinatra
.

SUBJECT: POTENTIAL CRIMINAL INFORMANT (PCI)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIF., CALL GIRL

    The captioned individual is a high-priced Hollywood call girl and
of Fred Otash, private detective in Los Angeles who has been convicted of horse race fixing. She advised Agents of our Los Angeles Office on July 11, 1960, that Otash contacted her on 7-10-60 requesting information relating to her participation in sex parties involving Senator John Kennedy, his brother-in-law, movie actor Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr.

said she told Otash she had no knowledge of
such activities involving these men. He then asked her to name any girls who might have been present at parties with these men. She told the Agents that she was unaware of any indiscretions or girls involved with the four men specified by Otash.

On July 11, 1960, Los Angeles Agents had occasion to talk to Otash in his office. During the conversation he inadvertently—or his actions indicated inadvertence—[indicated] that some operator, unnamed and unidentified, was attempting to spy on Senator Kennedy’s hotel room. He inferred to the Agents that “Confidential” magazine is “looking for dirt on Kennedy or Lawford” for use in a series of articles planned for publication before the November election.

In the evening of 7-11-60
told Agents that Otash had telephoned her wanting to know if she could arrange to be introduced to Senator Kennedy. He suggested that he would like to equip her with a recording device for taking down any “indiscreet statements” the Senator might make. She said she refused this suggestion and invitation.

RECOMMENDATION:

For information.

    
Later, the FBI overheard a bugged subject (identified only as Eddy M.) discussing Sinatra and Kennedy’s sexual exploits while complaining that agents had questioned an associate’s wife about her husband’s caddish ways. (This 1962 transcript, edited here for clarity, was obtained from the National Archives, not the FBI files released in 1998.)

    EDDY M: What is this, Russia? You know what they did? They went over to Gil Beckley’s and said to his wife, “Do you know that Gil is living with a girl in NYC?”

Why don’t they come in and say this to me? I’ll say, “One minute, I’ll call up the newspaper, see, and I’ll say, ‘Now, here’s an FBI man who said I’d been sleeping with a girl. Since when is [having sexual intercourse] a federal offense? And if it is a federal offense, I want the president of the U.S. indicted, because I know he was whacking all
those broads Sinatra brought him. And I can mention some names. And do you want me to mention some names? You know, this will really kill him. Is that a federal offense? And if it is, I want to get it straightened out.’ ”

What I’m going to say is, “Say, well, one minute, let’s put this down on record. I want it down that [sexual intercourse] is a federal offense, and I want to see what the president has to say about that, because I know he’s been [having sexual relations] with [a woman] in Palm Beach. And I know a couple of other girls that Frank Sinatra flew out there, flew from California to Palm Beach, and I can prove it. Now, let’s—why don’t we investigate it.” [Laughter]

You know what will happen? They’ll run, they’ll hide, they’ll get with their heads down under the rocks. All I’ll say is, “Let me have your card, I want to talk to your boss. I don’t want to answer this question. Just let me have your card.” That’s all a girl has to say: “A crime? Let me have your card,” because they’re Boy Scouts.

    
After Kennedy won the presidency in November 1960, he asked Sinatra to take control of the festivities surrounding the January 20, 1961, inauguration. America’s very own Camelot had begun, and Sinatra was leading the orchestra
.