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Borgata trilogy #2
Borgata: Clash of Titans: A History of the American Mafia
The first hundred years of the American Mafia's existence would come to be seen as a golden age. From small-town Sicily to glittering Las Vegas, the mob had carefully expanded and consolidated their power until their influence touched almost every aspect of American society. But in the 1960s, everything changed.
In CLASH OF TITANS, the second volume of former Mafia associate Louis Ferrante's groundbreaking Borgata trilogy, we discover for the first time the true scale of the conflicts that rocked the organisation between 1960 and 1985. From Robert F. Kennedy's personal crusade against the unexpecting mob to covert assassinations, betrayal by government informants and full-blown insurrections, we follow the Mafia from the apex of their power to their descent into civil war.
This story takes place against the backdrop of a changing America, where shadowy CIA conspiracies, brutal Justice Department battles and J Edgar Hoover's FBI all leave their mark on the Mafia tale.
Ferrante's insider history sheds new light on men so powerful they have since become household Jimmy Hoffa, Crazy Joe Gallo, Carlo Gambino and more. And, as ruthless infighting leads to rebellion, we watch as a bitter power struggle between Paul Castellano and the young John Gotti begins.
In CLASH OF TITANS, the second volume of former Mafia associate Louis Ferrante's groundbreaking Borgata trilogy, we discover for the first time the true scale of the conflicts that rocked the organisation between 1960 and 1985. From Robert F. Kennedy's personal crusade against the unexpecting mob to covert assassinations, betrayal by government informants and full-blown insurrections, we follow the Mafia from the apex of their power to their descent into civil war.
This story takes place against the backdrop of a changing America, where shadowy CIA conspiracies, brutal Justice Department battles and J Edgar Hoover's FBI all leave their mark on the Mafia tale.
Ferrante's insider history sheds new light on men so powerful they have since become household Jimmy Hoffa, Crazy Joe Gallo, Carlo Gambino and more. And, as ruthless infighting leads to rebellion, we watch as a bitter power struggle between Paul Castellano and the young John Gotti begins.
415 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 19, 2026
Check out the references this author is using such as Victor Lasky, Seymour Hersh, C. David Heymann and Joseph Franco. Could not find Source Notes for many quotes or assertions such as the one on page 213 stating “Seymour Ellison, who worked with Belli’s, received a telephone call from a friend who said, ‘Sy, one of our guys just bumped off the son of a bitch that gunned down the President…there’s a million bucks net for Mel if he’ll take it.’ Mel took it. Who would put up a million dollars for Jack Ruby? Marcello and Traficante come to mind.”
There is no historical record of Jack (John F.) Kennedy physically restraining "Bobby" (Robert F.) Kennedy from striking Senator Barry Goldwater during the McClellan Committee Hearings. Pg. 34
Victor Lasky-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_...
“ most controversial book was It Didn't Start With Watergate published in 1977. The author argued that the scandal that drove Richard Nixon from office was little more than a media event. He believed that the press disliked Nixon and subjected him to unfair scrutiny no other president had ever experienced. Lasky also claimed that Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson had used wiretaps on political opponents.”
Another poor reference cited by the author:
The Dark Side of Camelot
“The Dark Side of Camelot became a bestseller and stirred widespread controversy. The forgery scandal overshadowed some of its more substantiated claims, and the book remains an example of the risks associated with investigative journalism based on unverifiable sources. A 2018 retrospective in The Washington Post noted: "The Dark Side of Camelot was a big bestseller but was savaged by critics."[8]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dar...
https://smry.ai/www.latimes.com/archi...
Seymour Hersh
“ Hersh's 1997 best-seller The Dark Side of Camelot, about the political career of John F. Kennedy, was controversial and heavily criticized. Shortly before publication, it emerged in the press that Hersh had removed claims at the last minute that were based on forged documents provided to him by fraudster Lex Cusack, including a fake hush money contract between Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. An article about the controversy in The Washington Post said: "The strange and twisted saga of the JFK file is part cautionary tale, part slapstick farce, a story of deception and self-delusion in the service of commerce and journalism". Hersh and a onetime co-author had received an $800,000 advance for the project.[1] Other aspects of the book also came under criticism, including its prying into Kennedy's alleged sexual escapades based on interviews with his Secret Service guards and its claim that Kennedy used Judith Exner as a courier to deliver cash to mobster Sam Giancana, made by a source who later recanted it before the Assassination Records Review Board.[1]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour...
DID THE CHICAGO OUTFIT ELECT JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENT?
LONG-HELD CLAIMS OF MOB INFLUENCE DO NOT HOLD UP TO SCRUTINY
https://themobmuseum.org/blog/did-the...
“Perhaps the sheer wealth of Heymann's anecdotal material demonstrates that Robert Kennedy did indeed fool around, but Heymann often relies on single sources who turn out not to have personally witnessed what they describe, or to have had an animus.”
“What is not defensible is the way he deals with the rest of Kennedy's life”
Another poor reference:
A Candid Biography of Robert F. Kennedy By C. David Heymann
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/03/bo...
And another poor reference:
Hoffa's Man: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa as Witnessed by His Strongest Arm Front Cover Joseph Franco, Richard Ham
Joseph Franco-A longtime aide to Jimmy Hoffa who wrote a book claiming federal agents abducted the former Teamsters president said in an interview he may be able to identify one of three men who grabbed the union boss in 1975.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/10/...
Louis Ferrante does not even get the name of the book he quoted from right: J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry | Goodreads https://share.google/M9J2d9iimrQP135bo,
Pg. 370, Source Note 187 he calls the book The Man and the Myth
“MARTÍNEZ: Ferrante clearly is qualified to be the author of a nonfiction trilogy on the history of the American mafia. His latest book is called "Borgata: Clash Of Titans." It's the second and the latest title in this series.“
I disagree with the NPR interviewer at the link below. He states the author is clearly qualified to write this book because he belonged to the mafia. This does not make you qualified to write a book. Ridiculous statement and assumption by A MARTÍNEZ, about Louis Ferrante.
NPR podcast
Writer Louis Ferrante discusses his book on the history of the American mafia : NPR https://share.google/Jw9zwX3sLheVZjcyJ
WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/book...
Author info
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_F...
https://www.ou.org/life/inspiration/f...
https://www.c-span.org/program/qa/lou...
McClellan Committee Hearings
Committee opened Senate hearings on 26 February 1957 to investigate corruption, criminal infiltration, and illegal activities in the nation's labor unions. Chaired by Democrat John McClellan, the committee included John F. Kennedy and Barry Goldwater, along with Robert Kennedy as chief counsel. The committee's investigation focused on the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/...
American mafia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...
The Apalachin was a historic summit of the American Mafia held at the home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara, at 625 McFall Road in Apalachin, New York, on November 14, 1957
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apalach...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_...
Forced to resign after the Bay of Pigs. Brother was mayor of Dallas at time of the assasination
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earle_C...
Cuban Revolutionary Council
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_R...
Operation Mongoose, also known as the Cuban Project, was an extensive campaign of terrorist attacks against civilians, and covert operations, carried out by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Cuba.[10] It was officially authorized on November 30, 1961, by U.S. president John F. Kennedy. The name "Operation Mongoose" was agreed to at a White House meeting on November 4, 1961.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operati...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...
The United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) made numerous unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro. There were also attempts on Castro's life by Cuban exiles, sometimes in cooperation with the CIA. The 1975 Church Committee claimed eight proven CIA assassination attempts between 1960 and 1965. In 1976, President Gerald Ford issued Executive Order 11905 banning political assassinations. In 2006, Fabián Escalante, former chief of Cuba's intelligence, stated that there had been 634 assassination schemes or attempts. The last known plot to assassinate Castro was by Cuban exiles in 2000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_ass...
https://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...
Evelyn Lincoln, JFK secretary
https://www.jonathandenby.com/p/who-j...
Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in the United Kingdom, Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October 1962. The confrontation is widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into full-scale nuclear war.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_M...
Frank Sinatra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_S...
Cal Neva Resort & Casino, previously known as the Calneva Resort and Cal-Neva Lodge,[1][2] was a resort and casino in Crystal Bay, Nevada and Kings Beach, California, straddling the border between Nevada and California on the shores of Lake Tahoe. In 1960, entertainer Frank Sinatra purchased the resort with several others, including singer Dean Martin and Chicago mobster Sam Giancana. The FBI already had the lodge under investigation at the time due to the connection to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., who was staying there at the time that Sinatra's deal was finalized. There were concerns that Kennedy was involved in the arrangement of a casino for use by the American Mafia.[33] The FBI suspected that the expansion was made using funds borrowed from Jimmy Hoffa.[34] Following a request by Robert F. Kennedy, who had concerns over the press coverage of his and his brother's relationships with Marilyn Monroe, Sinatra made accommodation available for her for a weekend before her death on August 4, 1962
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Nev...
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_....
John F. Kennedy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F....
Timeline of the John F. Kennedy presidency (1963)
November 2 - JFK travelled to Chicago for to campaign for reelection.[12] The motorcade was cancelled because the secret service discovered a gunman named Thomas Vallee with a weapon in a high building near a sharp turn. A hotel reported to Cubans who had guns also, but the secret service botched that arrest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelin...
https://abcnews.com/US/story?id=39024...
Robert F. Kennedy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Jimmy Hoffa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_H...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_F...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...
https://www.the-sun.com/news/16805297...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_...
Carlos Joseph Marcello[1] February 6, 1910 – March 3, 1993) was an Italian-American crime boss of the New Orleans crime family from 1947 to 1990
Aside from his role in the American Mafia, he is also notorious for the reason that G. Robert Blakey and others have alleged that Carlos Marcello, Santo Trafficante Jr., and Sam Giancana conspired in the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in retaliation for federal investigations and prosecutions that threatened both the power and the multibillion-dollar profits of organized crime.[2][3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobster...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrcpah...
Sidney Gottlieb (August 3, 1918 – March 7, 1999) was an American chemist and spymaster who headed the Central Intelligence Agency's 1950s and 1960s assassination attempts and mind-control program, known as Project MKUltra.[1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_...
Allen Welsh Dulles (April 7, 1893 – January 29, 1969) was an American lawyer who was the first civilian director of central intelligence (DCI) and its longest serving director. As head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the early Cold War, he oversaw numerous activities, such as US involvement in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état, the Project MKUltra attempt to create a mind control program and the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in 1961. As a result of the failed invasion of Cuba, Dulles was forced to resign by President John F. Kennedy and was replaced with John McCone for the remainder of the Kennedy administration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_D...
There are five main New York City Mafia families, known as the Five Families: the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno, and Colombo families
Columbo crime family
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo...
Joseph Valachi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa crime family or the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. The most notable boss of the family was Santo Trafficante Jr., who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist.[1] Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to plot assassination attempts on Cuban leader Fidel Castro.[1] After the death of Santo Jr. in 1987, the Tampa Mafia family had been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo until his death in 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic...
Frank Ragano (January 25, 1923 – May 13, 1998) was a self-styled "mob lawyer" from Florida, who made his name representing organized crime figures such as Santo Trafficante, Jr. and Carlos Marcello, and also served as lawyer for Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa. In his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer, Ragano recounted his career in defending members of organized crime, and made the controversial allegation that Florida mob boss Santo Trafficante, Jr. confessed to him shortly before he died in 1987 that he and Carlos Marcello had arranged for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_R...
J. Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). President Calvin Coolidge first appointed Hoover as director of the BOI, the predecessor to the FBI, in 1924. After 11 years in the post, Hoover became instrumental in founding the FBI in June 1935, where he remained as director for an additional 37 years until his death in May 1972 – serving a total of 48 years leading both the BOI and the FBI under eight presidents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edga...
David Ferrie
(March 28, 1918 – February 22, 1967) was an American pilot and anti-communist activist who was alleged by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison to have been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy.[1] Ferrie denied any involvement in a conspiracy and said he never knew Oswald.[2] Decades later, photos emerged establishing that Ferrie had been in the same Civil Air Patrol unit as Oswald in the 1950s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_F...
Lee Harvey Oswald
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Har...
Jack Ruby
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ruby
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3n9VQ-d...
Joseph Francis Civello (February 3, 1902 – January 17, 1970) was an American mobster and the boss of the Dallas crime family from 1956 until his death in 1970. It is also known as the "Civello crime family", making it his namesake.
Guy Banister - https://share.google/XJs75zmY6FzaWWeJd
Eugene Hale Brading (Jim Braden) https://share.google/0hGkWCXwJWFqhAuwK
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
Joseph Campisi, also known as "Egyptian Joe", was an American restaurateur who ran The Egyptian Lounge. Campisi was the head of the Dallas mafia from the 1970s until his death in 1990.[1][2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
Joseph Colombo, Carl Gambino, Joe Gallo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_G...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gallo
https://crimereads.com/soul-assassin-...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meir_Ka...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ro...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Gia...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Ac...
https://tampamafia.com/castro-and-the...
United States House Select Committee on Assassinations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Robe...
https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/upl...
https://www.kennedysandking.com/john-...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclaim...
Borgata
Originally the Italian term for the suburban townships and villages around Palermo that were the cradle of the mafia. Adopted by the American mafia to mean Family
Capo
Refers to a high-ranking boss or captain in an organized crime syndicate, such as the Mafia
Vig (short for vigorish) is a fee, cut, or interest charge taken by a bookmaker, casino, or loan shark. [1, 2]
Zeppole Recipe https://share.google/1FcyavWKAHsgqPpqO
Blackjack weapon
https://www.karatemart.com/large-blac...
Clausewitz defines war as "an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will," emphasizing that it is a physical contest involving combat. He also views war as a political and social phenomenon that serves
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_vo...
https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/19/ob...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Federal Official Killed During Inquiry 24 Years Ago : Estes Investigator's Death Ruled Murder - Los Angeles Times https://share.google/Y0I7UduGMDsUaNwid
Bobby Baker - was an American political adviser to Lyndon B. Johnson, and an organizer for the Democratic Party. He became the Senate's Secretary to the Majority Leader. In 1963, he resigned during an investigation by the Democratic-controlled Senate into his business and political activities. The investigation included allegations of bribery and arranging sexual favors in exchange for Congressional votes and government contracts. The Senate investigation looked into the financial activities of Baker and Lyndon Johnson during the 1950s. The investigation of Lyndon Johnson as part of the Baker investigation was later dropped after President Kennedy's assassination and https://share.google/8Fpr1s01bIXRW4nnl
Secret service agents assigned to JFK out drinking
https://youtu.be/3D4R_jG2AYA?si=LwfnX...
The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence - Hagen History Center https://share.google/BwE6IRd7hGwlwfj7W
JFK's Secret Service agents were hungover, claims author https://share.google/3wugDBqvMnIcotocz
Officer J. D. Tippit, Dallas Police Department, Texas https://share.google/5YtywqFFasPhfbP7S
No stenographic record made during the entire Dallas Police Department Homicide interrogation of Oswald, pg. 193-192 (Jack Ruby was in the police station most of the time with a concealed weapon, bought sandwiches for them)
Most Of The New JFK Files Have Been Seen Before In Some Form : NPR https://share.google/3lrYQfsXVU0McO1kM
Bill Decker (sheriff) - https://share.google/EzZhz4mclTD2ekf4L
https://youtu.be/St5UpZJWKAk?si=BhvmA...
Johnson never believed Oswald acted alone
https://archive.org/details/the-last-...
Jim Garrison
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gar...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_o...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Shaw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Har...
https://www.wbrz.com/news/70-for-70-j...
Teamsters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...
Scungilli is the Neapolitan-derived term for conch or whelk, which is the edible meat extracted from snails
There is no historical record of Jack (John F.) Kennedy physically restraining "Bobby" (Robert F.) Kennedy from striking Senator Barry Goldwater during the McClellan Committee Hearings. Pg. 34
Victor Lasky-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_...
“ most controversial book was It Didn't Start With Watergate published in 1977. The author argued that the scandal that drove Richard Nixon from office was little more than a media event. He believed that the press disliked Nixon and subjected him to unfair scrutiny no other president had ever experienced. Lasky also claimed that Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson had used wiretaps on political opponents.”
Another poor reference cited by the author:
The Dark Side of Camelot
“The Dark Side of Camelot became a bestseller and stirred widespread controversy. The forgery scandal overshadowed some of its more substantiated claims, and the book remains an example of the risks associated with investigative journalism based on unverifiable sources. A 2018 retrospective in The Washington Post noted: "The Dark Side of Camelot was a big bestseller but was savaged by critics."[8]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dar...
https://smry.ai/www.latimes.com/archi...
Seymour Hersh
“ Hersh's 1997 best-seller The Dark Side of Camelot, about the political career of John F. Kennedy, was controversial and heavily criticized. Shortly before publication, it emerged in the press that Hersh had removed claims at the last minute that were based on forged documents provided to him by fraudster Lex Cusack, including a fake hush money contract between Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. An article about the controversy in The Washington Post said: "The strange and twisted saga of the JFK file is part cautionary tale, part slapstick farce, a story of deception and self-delusion in the service of commerce and journalism". Hersh and a onetime co-author had received an $800,000 advance for the project.[1] Other aspects of the book also came under criticism, including its prying into Kennedy's alleged sexual escapades based on interviews with his Secret Service guards and its claim that Kennedy used Judith Exner as a courier to deliver cash to mobster Sam Giancana, made by a source who later recanted it before the Assassination Records Review Board.[1]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour...
DID THE CHICAGO OUTFIT ELECT JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENT?
LONG-HELD CLAIMS OF MOB INFLUENCE DO NOT HOLD UP TO SCRUTINY
https://themobmuseum.org/blog/did-the...
“Perhaps the sheer wealth of Heymann's anecdotal material demonstrates that Robert Kennedy did indeed fool around, but Heymann often relies on single sources who turn out not to have personally witnessed what they describe, or to have had an animus.”
“What is not defensible is the way he deals with the rest of Kennedy's life”
Another poor reference:
A Candid Biography of Robert F. Kennedy By C. David Heymann
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/03/bo...
And another poor reference:
Hoffa's Man: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa as Witnessed by His Strongest Arm Front Cover Joseph Franco, Richard Ham
Joseph Franco-A longtime aide to Jimmy Hoffa who wrote a book claiming federal agents abducted the former Teamsters president said in an interview he may be able to identify one of three men who grabbed the union boss in 1975.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/10/...
Louis Ferrante does not even get the name of the book he quoted from right: J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry | Goodreads https://share.google/M9J2d9iimrQP135bo,
Pg. 370, Source Note 187 he calls the book The Man and the Myth
“MARTÍNEZ: Ferrante clearly is qualified to be the author of a nonfiction trilogy on the history of the American mafia. His latest book is called "Borgata: Clash Of Titans." It's the second and the latest title in this series.“
I disagree with the NPR interviewer at the link below. He states the author is clearly qualified to write this book because he belonged to the mafia. This does not make you qualified to write a book. Ridiculous statement and assumption by A MARTÍNEZ, about Louis Ferrante.
NPR podcast
Writer Louis Ferrante discusses his book on the history of the American mafia : NPR https://share.google/Jw9zwX3sLheVZjcyJ
WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/book...
Author info
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_F...
https://www.ou.org/life/inspiration/f...
https://www.c-span.org/program/qa/lou...
McClellan Committee Hearings
Committee opened Senate hearings on 26 February 1957 to investigate corruption, criminal infiltration, and illegal activities in the nation's labor unions. Chaired by Democrat John McClellan, the committee included John F. Kennedy and Barry Goldwater, along with Robert Kennedy as chief counsel. The committee's investigation focused on the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/...
American mafia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...
The Apalachin was a historic summit of the American Mafia held at the home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara, at 625 McFall Road in Apalachin, New York, on November 14, 1957
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apalach...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_...
Forced to resign after the Bay of Pigs. Brother was mayor of Dallas at time of the assasination
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earle_C...
Cuban Revolutionary Council
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_R...
Operation Mongoose, also known as the Cuban Project, was an extensive campaign of terrorist attacks against civilians, and covert operations, carried out by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Cuba.[10] It was officially authorized on November 30, 1961, by U.S. president John F. Kennedy. The name "Operation Mongoose" was agreed to at a White House meeting on November 4, 1961.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operati...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...
The United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) made numerous unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro. There were also attempts on Castro's life by Cuban exiles, sometimes in cooperation with the CIA. The 1975 Church Committee claimed eight proven CIA assassination attempts between 1960 and 1965. In 1976, President Gerald Ford issued Executive Order 11905 banning political assassinations. In 2006, Fabián Escalante, former chief of Cuba's intelligence, stated that there had been 634 assassination schemes or attempts. The last known plot to assassinate Castro was by Cuban exiles in 2000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_ass...
https://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...
Evelyn Lincoln, JFK secretary
https://www.jonathandenby.com/p/who-j...
Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in the United Kingdom, Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October 1962. The confrontation is widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into full-scale nuclear war.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_M...
Frank Sinatra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_S...
Cal Neva Resort & Casino, previously known as the Calneva Resort and Cal-Neva Lodge,[1][2] was a resort and casino in Crystal Bay, Nevada and Kings Beach, California, straddling the border between Nevada and California on the shores of Lake Tahoe. In 1960, entertainer Frank Sinatra purchased the resort with several others, including singer Dean Martin and Chicago mobster Sam Giancana. The FBI already had the lodge under investigation at the time due to the connection to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., who was staying there at the time that Sinatra's deal was finalized. There were concerns that Kennedy was involved in the arrangement of a casino for use by the American Mafia.[33] The FBI suspected that the expansion was made using funds borrowed from Jimmy Hoffa.[34] Following a request by Robert F. Kennedy, who had concerns over the press coverage of his and his brother's relationships with Marilyn Monroe, Sinatra made accommodation available for her for a weekend before her death on August 4, 1962
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Nev...
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_....
John F. Kennedy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F....
Timeline of the John F. Kennedy presidency (1963)
November 2 - JFK travelled to Chicago for to campaign for reelection.[12] The motorcade was cancelled because the secret service discovered a gunman named Thomas Vallee with a weapon in a high building near a sharp turn. A hotel reported to Cubans who had guns also, but the secret service botched that arrest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelin...
https://abcnews.com/US/story?id=39024...
Robert F. Kennedy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Jimmy Hoffa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_H...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_F...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...
https://www.the-sun.com/news/16805297...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_...
Carlos Joseph Marcello[1] February 6, 1910 – March 3, 1993) was an Italian-American crime boss of the New Orleans crime family from 1947 to 1990
Aside from his role in the American Mafia, he is also notorious for the reason that G. Robert Blakey and others have alleged that Carlos Marcello, Santo Trafficante Jr., and Sam Giancana conspired in the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in retaliation for federal investigations and prosecutions that threatened both the power and the multibillion-dollar profits of organized crime.[2][3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobster...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrcpah...
Sidney Gottlieb (August 3, 1918 – March 7, 1999) was an American chemist and spymaster who headed the Central Intelligence Agency's 1950s and 1960s assassination attempts and mind-control program, known as Project MKUltra.[1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_...
Allen Welsh Dulles (April 7, 1893 – January 29, 1969) was an American lawyer who was the first civilian director of central intelligence (DCI) and its longest serving director. As head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the early Cold War, he oversaw numerous activities, such as US involvement in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état, the Project MKUltra attempt to create a mind control program and the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in 1961. As a result of the failed invasion of Cuba, Dulles was forced to resign by President John F. Kennedy and was replaced with John McCone for the remainder of the Kennedy administration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_D...
There are five main New York City Mafia families, known as the Five Families: the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno, and Colombo families
Columbo crime family
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo...
Joseph Valachi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa crime family or the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. The most notable boss of the family was Santo Trafficante Jr., who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist.[1] Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to plot assassination attempts on Cuban leader Fidel Castro.[1] After the death of Santo Jr. in 1987, the Tampa Mafia family had been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo until his death in 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic...
Frank Ragano (January 25, 1923 – May 13, 1998) was a self-styled "mob lawyer" from Florida, who made his name representing organized crime figures such as Santo Trafficante, Jr. and Carlos Marcello, and also served as lawyer for Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa. In his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer, Ragano recounted his career in defending members of organized crime, and made the controversial allegation that Florida mob boss Santo Trafficante, Jr. confessed to him shortly before he died in 1987 that he and Carlos Marcello had arranged for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_R...
J. Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). President Calvin Coolidge first appointed Hoover as director of the BOI, the predecessor to the FBI, in 1924. After 11 years in the post, Hoover became instrumental in founding the FBI in June 1935, where he remained as director for an additional 37 years until his death in May 1972 – serving a total of 48 years leading both the BOI and the FBI under eight presidents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edga...
David Ferrie
(March 28, 1918 – February 22, 1967) was an American pilot and anti-communist activist who was alleged by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison to have been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy.[1] Ferrie denied any involvement in a conspiracy and said he never knew Oswald.[2] Decades later, photos emerged establishing that Ferrie had been in the same Civil Air Patrol unit as Oswald in the 1950s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_F...
Lee Harvey Oswald
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Har...
Jack Ruby
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ruby
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3n9VQ-d...
Joseph Francis Civello (February 3, 1902 – January 17, 1970) was an American mobster and the boss of the Dallas crime family from 1956 until his death in 1970. It is also known as the "Civello crime family", making it his namesake.
Guy Banister - https://share.google/XJs75zmY6FzaWWeJd
Eugene Hale Brading (Jim Braden) https://share.google/0hGkWCXwJWFqhAuwK
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
Joseph Campisi, also known as "Egyptian Joe", was an American restaurateur who ran The Egyptian Lounge. Campisi was the head of the Dallas mafia from the 1970s until his death in 1990.[1][2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
Joseph Colombo, Carl Gambino, Joe Gallo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_G...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gallo
https://crimereads.com/soul-assassin-...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meir_Ka...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ro...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Gia...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Ac...
https://tampamafia.com/castro-and-the...
United States House Select Committee on Assassinations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Robe...
https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/upl...
https://www.kennedysandking.com/john-...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclaim...
Borgata
Originally the Italian term for the suburban townships and villages around Palermo that were the cradle of the mafia. Adopted by the American mafia to mean Family
Capo
Refers to a high-ranking boss or captain in an organized crime syndicate, such as the Mafia
Vig (short for vigorish) is a fee, cut, or interest charge taken by a bookmaker, casino, or loan shark. [1, 2]
Zeppole Recipe https://share.google/1FcyavWKAHsgqPpqO
Blackjack weapon
https://www.karatemart.com/large-blac...
Clausewitz defines war as "an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will," emphasizing that it is a physical contest involving combat. He also views war as a political and social phenomenon that serves
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_vo...
https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/19/ob...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Federal Official Killed During Inquiry 24 Years Ago : Estes Investigator's Death Ruled Murder - Los Angeles Times https://share.google/Y0I7UduGMDsUaNwid
Bobby Baker - was an American political adviser to Lyndon B. Johnson, and an organizer for the Democratic Party. He became the Senate's Secretary to the Majority Leader. In 1963, he resigned during an investigation by the Democratic-controlled Senate into his business and political activities. The investigation included allegations of bribery and arranging sexual favors in exchange for Congressional votes and government contracts. The Senate investigation looked into the financial activities of Baker and Lyndon Johnson during the 1950s. The investigation of Lyndon Johnson as part of the Baker investigation was later dropped after President Kennedy's assassination and https://share.google/8Fpr1s01bIXRW4nnl
Secret service agents assigned to JFK out drinking
https://youtu.be/3D4R_jG2AYA?si=LwfnX...
The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence - Hagen History Center https://share.google/BwE6IRd7hGwlwfj7W
JFK's Secret Service agents were hungover, claims author https://share.google/3wugDBqvMnIcotocz
Officer J. D. Tippit, Dallas Police Department, Texas https://share.google/5YtywqFFasPhfbP7S
No stenographic record made during the entire Dallas Police Department Homicide interrogation of Oswald, pg. 193-192 (Jack Ruby was in the police station most of the time with a concealed weapon, bought sandwiches for them)
Most Of The New JFK Files Have Been Seen Before In Some Form : NPR https://share.google/3lrYQfsXVU0McO1kM
Bill Decker (sheriff) - https://share.google/EzZhz4mclTD2ekf4L
https://youtu.be/St5UpZJWKAk?si=BhvmA...
Johnson never believed Oswald acted alone
https://archive.org/details/the-last-...
Jim Garrison
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gar...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_o...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Shaw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Har...
https://www.wbrz.com/news/70-for-70-j...
Teamsters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...
Scungilli is the Neapolitan-derived term for conch or whelk, which is the edible meat extracted from snails
May 7, 2026
I just finished Borgata, Vol 2 and I’m still blown away. This book isn’t just another mob story—it’s a meticulously researched, gripping deep dive into the intersection of organized crime, politics, and power in America. From start to finish, I was absolutely captivated.
The sections on the assassination of President Kennedy are next-level. The author lays out the players, their connections, and the potential motives with such clarity and detail that it feels like you’re in the room with them. I’ve read plenty on this topic over the years, but this volume presented angles and linkages I hadn’t seen before. It’s compelling without veering into wild speculation—it sticks to the facts, the documented relationships, and the logical implications. Chilling and fascinating all at once.
Then there’s the coverage of Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance and death. The narrative here is phenomenal—tense, detailed, and packed with the kind of insider knowledge that makes you question everything you thought you knew. The way the author weaves these monumental events together through the lens of the Borgata and its influence is brilliant.
This single book has enough material for multiple blockbuster movies. The characters are larger than life, the stakes are enormous, and the storytelling is cinematic. The pacing is perfect, the research is exhaustive, and the writing pulls you in so completely that it’s hard to put down.
Borgata, Vol 2 is easily one of the best books I’ve read in the true crime/mob history genre. Phenomenal work. I’m already counting down the days until Volume 3 drops. If you have any interest in the Kennedy era, Hoffa, or the real machinery behind mid-20th century American power, this is an absolute must-read.
Highly, highly recommended. 5 massive stars.
The sections on the assassination of President Kennedy are next-level. The author lays out the players, their connections, and the potential motives with such clarity and detail that it feels like you’re in the room with them. I’ve read plenty on this topic over the years, but this volume presented angles and linkages I hadn’t seen before. It’s compelling without veering into wild speculation—it sticks to the facts, the documented relationships, and the logical implications. Chilling and fascinating all at once.
Then there’s the coverage of Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance and death. The narrative here is phenomenal—tense, detailed, and packed with the kind of insider knowledge that makes you question everything you thought you knew. The way the author weaves these monumental events together through the lens of the Borgata and its influence is brilliant.
This single book has enough material for multiple blockbuster movies. The characters are larger than life, the stakes are enormous, and the storytelling is cinematic. The pacing is perfect, the research is exhaustive, and the writing pulls you in so completely that it’s hard to put down.
Borgata, Vol 2 is easily one of the best books I’ve read in the true crime/mob history genre. Phenomenal work. I’m already counting down the days until Volume 3 drops. If you have any interest in the Kennedy era, Hoffa, or the real machinery behind mid-20th century American power, this is an absolute must-read.
Highly, highly recommended. 5 massive stars.
May 2, 2025
Incredibly readable. Love the pace of it.
It is detailed enough that I understand the entire story but not so overly detailed that it gets boring or I get lost.
I got this book after listening to Mr. Ferrante on the Julian Dorsey podcast. He is an expert on the JFK years and assassination. Dorsey spoke to him for more than 3 hours and his encyclopedia knowledge of the events were great. A lot of what he was detailing I knew already, but he had an even greater level of detail to the events and characters. He also knew many things I didn't know and detailed them in an easy to understand manner. So it was no surprise to read this book and see the same thing in the writing. He knows what he is talking about and presents it in an easy to read manner.
Truth be told, I LIKED the whole book. But the sections that were more on the mafia were not as familiar to me or as interesting. They were still good and easy to follow but I wanted to read this book for the JFK and RFK info. Those sections were just major page turners for me.
It is funny when you read a book like this you feel like you are in another world with all the nicknames and events being discussed. It's gruesome and almost surreal.
If you are a JFKer or a mafia buff this is a great book. Easy to read and follow. Cannot recommend it enough.
It is detailed enough that I understand the entire story but not so overly detailed that it gets boring or I get lost.
I got this book after listening to Mr. Ferrante on the Julian Dorsey podcast. He is an expert on the JFK years and assassination. Dorsey spoke to him for more than 3 hours and his encyclopedia knowledge of the events were great. A lot of what he was detailing I knew already, but he had an even greater level of detail to the events and characters. He also knew many things I didn't know and detailed them in an easy to understand manner. So it was no surprise to read this book and see the same thing in the writing. He knows what he is talking about and presents it in an easy to read manner.
Truth be told, I LIKED the whole book. But the sections that were more on the mafia were not as familiar to me or as interesting. They were still good and easy to follow but I wanted to read this book for the JFK and RFK info. Those sections were just major page turners for me.
It is funny when you read a book like this you feel like you are in another world with all the nicknames and events being discussed. It's gruesome and almost surreal.
If you are a JFKer or a mafia buff this is a great book. Easy to read and follow. Cannot recommend it enough.
July 25, 2025
This is the second book of the trilogy on the Mafia by Louis Ferrante. Another action packed volume as I had read the first and was not disappointed. This volume picks up from the last and deals with particular detail on the story surrounding the Kennedys and father Joe's involvement that lead to the election of son Jack and the nemsis to the mob son Bobby. Ultimately we get to the assasinationation of President Kennedy and Ferrante's fairly convincing arguement of a deep conspiracy that implicates the mafia figures tied in through Oswald and Ruby.
He then moves on into the later 60's and beyond in which many sqaubbles between various cheiftans and the body count rolls up. As The previous book a fascinating read with an amazing amount of detail and intrigue. In the back of my mind I keep wandering how is Mr. Ferrante able to spill all the beans and remain intact. Possibly just another part of the mystery surrounding this real life drama.
He then moves on into the later 60's and beyond in which many sqaubbles between various cheiftans and the body count rolls up. As The previous book a fascinating read with an amazing amount of detail and intrigue. In the back of my mind I keep wandering how is Mr. Ferrante able to spill all the beans and remain intact. Possibly just another part of the mystery surrounding this real life drama.
September 8, 2026
Tämän kanssa vähän kesti :'D Niin paljon nimiä ja vuosilukuja, joiden muistamisessa en ole kovin hyvä, ja monia yksittäisiä tapahtumia ja keskusteluja, joiden vaikutus kokonaisuuteen oli aika hankala hahmottaa. Erittäin kiinnostavaa tekstiä silti: eniten pureuduttiin siihen miten John F. Kennedyn murha oli, tämän kirjan mukaan, pitkälti mafian aikaansaannosta. Ja että FBI:lla oli myös lusikkansa sopassa, nimenomaan perimmäisten syyllisten (eli mafian väen) suojelussa. Aikamoista!
Oli myös kiinnostavaa lukea Jimmy Hoffasta ja rekkakuskien ammattiliitosta, joka oli periaatteessa mafian hallinnassa. Kirjailija muuten mainitsee The Irishman -elokuvan ja selittää, että Frank Sheeran todennäköisesti on valehdellut osallisuudestaan Jimmy Hoffan katoamiseen, ja että kirja sekä elokuva ovat sepitettä (kuten DeNirokin on maininnut).
Kolmannen ja viimeisen osan Borgata-sarjasta pitäisi ilmestyä tämän vuoden puolella, joten sitä odotellessa!
Oli myös kiinnostavaa lukea Jimmy Hoffasta ja rekkakuskien ammattiliitosta, joka oli periaatteessa mafian hallinnassa. Kirjailija muuten mainitsee The Irishman -elokuvan ja selittää, että Frank Sheeran todennäköisesti on valehdellut osallisuudestaan Jimmy Hoffan katoamiseen, ja että kirja sekä elokuva ovat sepitettä (kuten DeNirokin on maininnut).
Kolmannen ja viimeisen osan Borgata-sarjasta pitäisi ilmestyä tämän vuoden puolella, joten sitä odotellessa!
May 8, 2025
Fascinating book written by someone with first hand knowledge of the "life." Ferrante proves and disproves so many infamous episodes that factor, not only in to mob history, but U.S. history as well. From the JFK assassination to the Joe Colombo hit, Ferrante shows the reader the evidence while using his own life experience to once and for all disprove popular theories which dont hold any weight under the cold light of day.
One fascinating character that plays a large part in the events in the book is John Roselli. A mobster in the Chicago Outfit who also worked alongside the CIA in an effort to kill Castro. Willing to risk his own life for not only his Borgata but his country as well, Roselli is a fascinating historical figure. It's a shame he is not more well known. Hopefully this book will change that.
A must read!
One fascinating character that plays a large part in the events in the book is John Roselli. A mobster in the Chicago Outfit who also worked alongside the CIA in an effort to kill Castro. Willing to risk his own life for not only his Borgata but his country as well, Roselli is a fascinating historical figure. It's a shame he is not more well known. Hopefully this book will change that.
A must read!
January 9, 2026
What a wild set of stories--and all with evidence to back them up! This stuff makes the movies seems tame.
There was A TON of discussion in this book on the Kennedy assassination, maybe too many details on it, except that he may have conclusively proven who actually was involved and also behind the assassination (not the generic mafia, but specific names).
Not a ton of practical application, but fascinating reading.
There was A TON of discussion in this book on the Kennedy assassination, maybe too many details on it, except that he may have conclusively proven who actually was involved and also behind the assassination (not the generic mafia, but specific names).
Not a ton of practical application, but fascinating reading.
August 15, 2025
جلد دوم معرکه بود، مخصوصا فصلهای مربوط به ترور کندی.
September 7, 2025
interesting book - The mob took out JFK, RFK, anf Hoffa. A great book if you are a conspiracy type person
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