Page 66 - All About History - Issue 59-17

WWII America

Friends in

low places

The real power of the US
docklands was in the hands
of a few shady characters

Meyer lansky
4 July 1902 – 15 January 1983 Enemy collaborators, organised
Mob associate criminals and navy agents mingled
A lifelong partner of Luciano among ordinary workers at Fulton
and highly regarded mob Fish Market
associate, Lansky was a Jewish
mobster who would later “Lanza’s criminal network extended
become a financier for the Five
Families — their ‘accountant’, if
you like. He helped to convince across the waterfront out to the captains
Luciano to lend his underworld
contacts to the navy’s counter- of fishing fleets at sea”
espionage efforts.
albert anastasia Here, Lanza and Gurfein talked for around an as an informant and so they wouldn’t talk. There
26 September 1902 – hour on a park bench, a location where Lanza was a man, however, whose word could open doors
26 September 1957 felt he wouldn’t be seen and suspected as an for the navy.
Gambino informant for the DA’s office. Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, chairman of the
‘Mad Hatter’ Anastasia was a The meeting was a success — Lanza could help Commission — the American mafia’s governing
feared mob hit man with a hair- and was willing to. He later passed Commander body — and head of the Luciano crime family, held
trigger temper who would later Haffenden some telephone numbers on which sway over the entire New York waterfront. Six
become boss of the Gambino he could be easily reached and Lanza was given years into a 30-year sentence upstate in Clinton
crime family. He controlled the a code number and a visitor’s pass to Haffenden’s Correctional Facility for running a prostitution ring,
Brooklyn waterfront and later
sought to claim responsibility office, where he met with the commander every it’s a testament to his power that, even behind bars,
for the sabotage of USS week or so. the only impediment to him helping the authorities
Lafayette, although it is very The Cosa Nostra capo was certainly a useful was that he was a long drive from the city.
unlikely that he was the culprit. man for the navy to have in their back pocket. Another flurry of meetings occurred: Gurefin
charles luciano Lanza’s criminal network extended across the spoke with Moses Polakoff, Luciano’s lawyer at
his 1936 trial. He had no contact with Luciano
waterfront out to the captains of fishing fleets
24 November 1897 – at sea, all of whom were utilised as submarine (and seemed to be satisfied with that) but knew
26 January 1962 lookouts, calling in codes with their ship-to- a lifelong associate of the mob boss who was
Genovese shore telephones whenever suspicious activity powerful mafia man — Meyer Lansky. Gurefin,
‘Lucky’ Luciano is probably one was spotted. Agents were seamlessly placed in Lansky and Polakoff then had a breakfast meeting
of the most influential mob
bosses in history, responsible trucking jobs around the ports and on fishing at Longchamps restaurant, Manhattan. Lansky
for reorganising Italian- boats, using an introduction from a friendly face agreed to help and to travel with Polakoff to meet
American Mafia into what we and fishworkers’ union books obtained by Lanza. with Luciano, as long as Luciano was moved to
recognise today. He pulled Lanza himself brought useful intelligence from a prison closer to the city. Arguably, this move to
strings from inside a prison Fulton Fish Market to his weekly meeting with Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock
cell to allow the US Navy to
stay one step ahead of Nazi Commander Haffenden.
saboteurs and spies. However, the navy needed to do more than
merely stop enemy spies from disrupting the war
Joseph lanza effort on their own shores — they needed the
1904 – 11 October 1968 dirt on Italy: verbal descriptions of places with
Genovese strategic significance, photos of shorelines to help
‘Socks’ Lanza controlled identify potential beachheads. The ONI needed to
Fulton Fish Market in Lower speak to those who were born in Italy and might
Manhattan and was heavily still have family there but this was where Lanza
involved in labour unions, apparently hit a wall.
which put him in direct contact
with workers in and around Lanza controlled Fulton Fish Market. Beyond
New York City’s docklands. that, he needed help from others in the various
He helped leverage Luciano’s mafia families of New York, but his indictment
criminal network to assist US had led many of those in his criminal network to An anti-Nazi parade on New
Navy intelligence. York’s Fifth Avenue in 1942
believe that in dealing with the ONI he was acting
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