Operation Underworld was the code name of a highly unlikely yet necessary collaboration between the US government and the Italian-American mafia.
In this episode, we'll learn about the incident that prompted Operation Underworld, its key players, and the outcome of the collaboration.
[00:00:05] Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English, the show where you can listen to fascinating stories and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:21] I'm Alastair Budge, and today we are going to be talking about something called Operation Underworld.
[00:00:28] It’s an unbelievable story of collaboration between the US government and an unlikely ally…the Italian-American mafia.
[00:00:37] So, let’s not waste a minute, and get right into the story of Operation Underworld.
[00:00:45] On Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 7:48 a.m Hawaiian time, 353 Japanese bombers launched a surprise attack on the American base at Pearl Harbour.
[00:01:01] The result was, as you will know, the United States declaring war on Japan, with it, its Axis ally, Germany, and the balance of power starting to shift in the Second World War.
[00:01:15] With the main field of battle in Europe, the Americans needed to send supplies, military equipment and of course soldiers across the Atlantic.
[00:01:25] But there was a problem.
[00:01:28] To get to Europe, ships needed to cross the Atlantic, weaving their way past German submarines and bombers that roamed the Atlantic Ocean.
[00:01:40] Many didn’t make it through.
[00:01:43] Indeed, in the three months after Pearl Harbor, the United States lost 120 ships, more than one a day.
[00:01:53] Of course, some losses were inevitable, they were to be expected.
[00:01:58] But many people suspected that these numbers were higher than they should have been, and that spies were passing information to the enemy. Vital information about these ships, and the details of where they would be going and when was being shared with the Nazis, meaning that the ships would be sunk before they reached their final destination.
[00:02:23] Some never even made it out of the American port.
[00:02:27] Most famously, on February the 9th, of 1942, so almost exactly three months after Pearl Harbour, there was a boat docked in the New York shipyard.
[00:02:39] It was originally a luxury French ocean liner called Normandie, and she was the fastest ocean liner in the world when she first entered service in 1935.
[00:02:51] She had carried passengers such as Ernest Hemingway and Walt Disney, and even the entire von Trapp family of singers from the Sound of Music.
[00:03:01] But in 1942, there was little need for luxury liners; her talents could be better used elsewhere.
[00:03:10] She had been in New York since the start of the war, and in 1942 the decision was taken to turn her into a troop ship, to ready her for battle.
[00:03:22] But on February the 9th, 1942, she caught fire.
[00:03:28] As the great vessel burned, smoke filled the Manhattan skyline.
[00:03:34] The blaze was eventually put out, but the ship was effectively destroyed, she was made unusable.
[00:03:42] The US authorities said that the fire was an unfortunate accident, but there was widespread scepticism about this.
[00:03:50] Fingers were soon pointed.
[00:03:54] Was it Axis saboteurs, Nazi spies who had purposefully destroyed this ship before she was able to set sail for Europe?
[00:04:03] Soon enough, someone even came forward to claim responsibility, but that person was not German, not Japanese, and not Italian.
[00:04:14] Well, he was sort of Italian; he was an Italian-American gangster called Albert Anastasia.
[00:04:21] So, why did he do it, if indeed he did do it?
[00:04:26] Well, it wasn’t because he was an Axis spy, or because he was anti-America.
[00:04:32] It was, to quote Don Corleone in the Godfather, “strictly business”.
[00:04:38] The main theory about why he did it, or claimed to do it, is because he wanted to force the US government to pay for mafia protection in the ports.
[00:04:50] Many American ports, especially on the east side of the country, had been effectively controlled by organised criminals, and this was Anastasia’s way of saying, hey, US government, this ship was in my territory, and if you don’t pay me, this is what happens.
[00:05:09] Another theory is actually a little more cunning, a little more clever.
[00:05:15] Yes, he wanted to create disruption in the docks so that the US government would seek the help of the mafia, but his objective wasn’t financial gain, it wasn’t to be paid.
[00:05:27] It was so that it would eventually lead the US authorities to seek the help of the one man who ultimately controlled the docks: Anastasia’s boss, Charles “Lucky” Luciano.
[00:05:42] “Lucky” Luciano, who you may remember from our episodes on the Five Families of New York, was a major mob boss, he was one of the most powerful figures in organised crime.
[00:05:54] But there was a problem.
[00:05:57] Luciano was in prison at the time, serving a 30 to 50 year sentence.
[00:06:04] If Anastasia could show the US authorities that collaborating with the mafia was in their interest, this might be good news for Luciano. It would give him an opportunity to help the US government, and leverage when it came to asking for a reduced sentence.
[00:06:23] This might sound like an unlikely theory, but it is precisely what happened eventually, the unlikely partnership between the US government and the Italian-American mafia.
[00:06:37] And this was no “unofficial”, or at least low level partnership; a high-ranking US officer called Commander Charles R. Haffenden was put in charge of the operation to seek collaboration with criminals to protect the ports and sniff out spies.
[00:06:55] The first person he sought the help of was a man called Joseph “Socks” Lanza, who was a mafia boss who controlled the fish market and the Seafood Workers Union..
[00:07:07] You might think that “socks” is an unusual name for a gangster, but here’s an unusual piece of English for you; to “sock” someone is slang for hitting someone very hard.
[00:07:21] And Socks earned his nickname, apparently, for his ability to knock a man out with one blow.
[00:07:29] This meeting between "Socks" and Haffendan was the first step of a highly secretive campaign that would be codenamed “Operation Underworld”.
[00:07:40] The proposal went something like this: “Socks” would provide information on anyone suspected of having sympathies for Mussolini, the Italian leader, and therefore of being a potential spy. He would let the government know of any planned sabotage attacks, or of anyone who was known to be spying for the enemy.
[00:08:02] And what would “Socks” get in return?
[00:08:06] He wasn’t offered any kind of immunity from prosecution from criminal activity, or any kind of cash payment.
[00:08:13] So what was in it for him?
[00:08:17] Well, perhaps there was some kind of masterplan from Anastasia, that these criminals would agree to help because it all served to ultimately lead the US government to their boss, “Lucky” Luciano.
[00:08:31] The real reason however might be a little more practical: “Socks” had recently been charged with racketeering, and if he was caught taking part in any more criminal activity, it was very likely that he would be sent to prison, and the mob did not want this to happen.
[00:08:48] Essentially, this collaboration with the government was a way for “Socks” firstly to stay out of trouble and secondly to get in the authorities’ good books.
[00:08:58] He was more useful to the mafia outside of prison, controlling the fish market, than he would be behind bars.
[00:09:07] A week after the initial contact, “Socks” met Commander Charles Haffenden and agreed to cooperate, saying “You let me know where you want the contacts made, or what you want, and I’ll carry on.”
[00:09:22] From that moment on, “Socks” became a key partner to the US government.
[00:09:28] Firstly, he gave union cards to U.S government agents, allowing them to go undercover in the Seafood Workers’ Union and try to identify potential spies amongst the majority Italian workforce.
[00:09:42] “Socks” also used trusted drivers and dock workers to report back to him with any suspicious activity in the ports. He kept the US authorities informed about any possible spies in the piers, or suspicious materials coming in, or going out.
[00:09:59] He was, so it appears, a good partner to the government, but he advised Commander Haffenden that if he wanted to get the total loyalty of the Italian dockworkers, he would need to go up one level, and start speaking with his boss, Lucky Luciano.
[00:10:18] Afterall, Luciano was the crime figure for whom “Socks” oversaw Fulton Fish Market, and he was a much more powerful man.
[00:10:28] As a quick reminder of who this man was, by 1942, Lucky Luciano was still one of the most powerful men in organised crime, despite having been behind bars since 1936.
[00:10:42] “Socks” explained to the authorities that although Luciano was in prison, he still had the ultimate control of the docks, and would be a powerful partner.
[00:10:53] He got word through to Luciano, who agreed to assist the war effort, communicating with the authorities through his trusted associate and mob accountant, Meyer Lansky.
[00:11:05] As a quick side note, if you’d like to listen to an episode just on the unusual life of mob accountant Meyer Lansky, episode number 264 is the one for you.
[00:11:17] Now, as to the question of why Luciano agreed to help the government, well, he had been sentenced to up to 50 years in prison and he was prepared to do whatever he could to reduce his sentence and get out of jail.
[00:11:33] After agreeing to help, Luciano started sending instructions to his associates.
[00:11:38] Via Lansky, he demanded that his associates be on the lookout for potential spies or suspicious activity along the shores.
[00:11:49] And…perhaps unsurprisingly, it worked, or at least it seemed like it worked.
[00:11:56] Soon after Luciano got involved, there was less theft of war supplies, and Union strikes, which were common and disrupted wartime operations, became less frequent.
[00:12:09] Now, while Luciano’s influence in stopping disruption will never be fully clear, there is some correlation between him starting to cooperate with the authorities, and the disruption reducing.
[00:12:23] It certainly seemed that he thought he had done enough to start calling in favours, and he decided it was time to start asking for his reward.
[00:12:33] Clearly, his bargaining power was limited. He was in prison for 30 to 50 years after all.
[00:12:41] So, what did he want?
[00:12:43] Well, for starters, he wanted to be moved to a nicer prison.
[00:12:48] This seemed reasonable enough to the authorities, and soon enough, he was transferred to a more comfortable prison.
[00:12:57] The deal was working, and from his new cell, Luciano would go on to help with something even more important, the US invasion of Sicily the following year.
[00:13:10] As a quick reminder of what was happening in Europe at the time, in 1942 the majority of the continent was under Axis control, it was controlled by the Germans.
[00:13:22] There were numerous entry points that were considered as potential places to launch an Allied attack on the continent, one of which was Sicily, the island at the south of the Italian peninsula.
[00:13:35] The idea was to land in Sicily and use that as a springboard to launch a campaign to invade mainland Italy, overthrow the Fascist Italian and Nazi German troops stationed across the country, and then move up through Europe.
[00:13:52] This would be codenamed “Operation Husky”, and, to cut a long story short, it worked.
[00:14:00] Now, where does our friend Charles “Lucky” Luciano come into all of this?
[00:14:05] Well, Luciano was Sicilian.
[00:14:08] Although his family had moved to the US when he was eight years old, he had extensive criminal contacts on the island.
[00:14:17] Luciano pulled some strings, and his mafia colleagues in Sicily were a great help to the Allied forces both in the planning for the invasion and when they arrived on the island.
[00:14:31] Now, you might be rightfully asking…why would they help the Americans?
[00:14:37] Yes, Luciano asked them to, but let’s remember that the Americans were fighting against their countrymen, the US was at war with Italy.
[00:14:48] Again, there is no one simple answer here, but it’s fair to say that the mafia and Mussolini, the Italian dictator, did not see eye to eye.
[00:15:00] Firstly the entire philosophy of fascism is that of the supreme control of the state.
[00:15:08] And if a non-state entity, especially a criminal entity, is in control, well that is problematic in a fascist dictatorship.
[00:15:19] Secondly, there are reasons to believe that there was also personal animosity between Mussolini and Sicilian organised criminals.
[00:15:28] All this began with an unsuccessful political visit to Sicily in May of 1924. Mussolini had become Prime Minister two years prior, and he visited Sicily to make a public address in an attempt to improve his popularity in the region.
[00:15:48] He arrived with a large military security team, including battleships, aeroplanes and submarines, clear signs of the power of the state.
[00:16:00] When he arrived, he was met by a man called Don Francesco Cuccia, a mayor of a small town outside Palermo called Piana dei Greci.
[00:16:11] Cuccia was a politician, but he also happened to be an influential member of the Sicilian mafia.
[00:16:20] He was unimpressed with Mussolini’s perceived need to bring his own protection, and he told the Prime Minister “You are with me; you are under my protection.”
[00:16:32] Essentially, he told Mussolini that his ships and aeroplanes weren’t needed. Mussolini was furious; he was the leader of Italy, he didn’t accept favours from some local crook.
[00:16:46] He refused Cuccia’s offer, keeping his troops with him.
[00:16:51] And if you know anything about the mafia, you’ll know that it’s not always a good idea to reject them.
[00:16:59] In response to Mussolini’s refusal, Cuccia ordered his townspeople to boycott Mussolini’s speech, meaning that the Prime Minister ended up addressing a practically empty town square.
[00:17:13] It was deeply embarrassing, and Mussolini was livid. He cut short his Sicilian tour, and from that day onwards was determined to crush the mafia.
[00:17:27] By the time 1943 came along, Mussolini had spent the best part of twenty years trying to destroy the mafia, so when the opportunity arose to help the Allies get rid of Mussolini, you can see the attraction.
[00:17:42] So, what did everyone get out of this?
[00:17:45] Well, the United States was given a helping hand with the invasion of Sicily, which resulted in the overthrowing of Mussolini and the capture of the entire Italian peninsula.
[00:17:57] Could this have happened without the help of the mafia, and without Lucky Luciano? Most probably, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
[00:18:06] Indeed, the US forces only suffered very minor casualties when they attacked Sicily from the western side of the island, while the British forces suffered much higher casualties after attacking from the southern side of the island.
[00:18:22] Was this coincidence, other factors, or the handiwork of Lucky Luciano?
[00:18:29] Luciano certainly thought that he had been a huge help, and he wasted no time in calling in a big favour in return for facilitating this assistance.
[00:18:41] Not long after the war ended, Luciano filed an appeal for clemency.
[00:18:47] On January the 3rd, 1946, he received a pardon, he went free, after serving 9½ years of what should have been up to 50 years in prison. Somewhat poignantly, it was the man who had sentenced Luciano ten years beforehand, Governor Thomas E. Dewey, who pardoned him.
[00:19:10] The one condition of his pardon was that he was to be deported to Italy, which duly happened in February of 1946.
[00:19:20] And, as you may know, Lucky Luciano didn’t exactly put his feet up and leave his life of crime behind.
[00:19:27] If anything, it intensified, and his criminal ways continued right up until his death from a heart attack at Naples Airport in 1962.
[00:19:38] And, as to the impact and legacy of Operation Underworld, it is still a hotly debated subject.
[00:19:46] It seems like there’s no question of it hurting the war effort, but the extent to which it had any positive impact is debated.
[00:19:55] Indeed, to this very day the full extent of Operation Underworld has never truly been acknowledged by the U.S government, but one thing is for sure: it certainly is an unusual story.
[00:20:10] OK then, that is it for today's episode on Operation Underworld, the unusual deal between the United States and the mafia.
[00:20:19] As always, I would love to know what you thought about this episode.
[00:20:22] How much of an impact do you think this really had?
[00:20:25] Do you think that governments should ever enter into agreements with criminals, if there can be some kind of positive outcome?
[00:20:33] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:20:37] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:20:45] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:20:50] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
[00:00:05] Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English, the show where you can listen to fascinating stories and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:21] I'm Alastair Budge, and today we are going to be talking about something called Operation Underworld.
[00:00:28] It’s an unbelievable story of collaboration between the US government and an unlikely ally…the Italian-American mafia.
[00:00:37] So, let’s not waste a minute, and get right into the story of Operation Underworld.
[00:00:45] On Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 7:48 a.m Hawaiian time, 353 Japanese bombers launched a surprise attack on the American base at Pearl Harbour.
[00:01:01] The result was, as you will know, the United States declaring war on Japan, with it, its Axis ally, Germany, and the balance of power starting to shift in the Second World War.
[00:01:15] With the main field of battle in Europe, the Americans needed to send supplies, military equipment and of course soldiers across the Atlantic.
[00:01:25] But there was a problem.
[00:01:28] To get to Europe, ships needed to cross the Atlantic, weaving their way past German submarines and bombers that roamed the Atlantic Ocean.
[00:01:40] Many didn’t make it through.
[00:01:43] Indeed, in the three months after Pearl Harbor, the United States lost 120 ships, more than one a day.
[00:01:53] Of course, some losses were inevitable, they were to be expected.
[00:01:58] But many people suspected that these numbers were higher than they should have been, and that spies were passing information to the enemy. Vital information about these ships, and the details of where they would be going and when was being shared with the Nazis, meaning that the ships would be sunk before they reached their final destination.
[00:02:23] Some never even made it out of the American port.
[00:02:27] Most famously, on February the 9th, of 1942, so almost exactly three months after Pearl Harbour, there was a boat docked in the New York shipyard.
[00:02:39] It was originally a luxury French ocean liner called Normandie, and she was the fastest ocean liner in the world when she first entered service in 1935.
[00:02:51] She had carried passengers such as Ernest Hemingway and Walt Disney, and even the entire von Trapp family of singers from the Sound of Music.
[00:03:01] But in 1942, there was little need for luxury liners; her talents could be better used elsewhere.
[00:03:10] She had been in New York since the start of the war, and in 1942 the decision was taken to turn her into a troop ship, to ready her for battle.
[00:03:22] But on February the 9th, 1942, she caught fire.
[00:03:28] As the great vessel burned, smoke filled the Manhattan skyline.
[00:03:34] The blaze was eventually put out, but the ship was effectively destroyed, she was made unusable.
[00:03:42] The US authorities said that the fire was an unfortunate accident, but there was widespread scepticism about this.
[00:03:50] Fingers were soon pointed.
[00:03:54] Was it Axis saboteurs, Nazi spies who had purposefully destroyed this ship before she was able to set sail for Europe?
[00:04:03] Soon enough, someone even came forward to claim responsibility, but that person was not German, not Japanese, and not Italian.
[00:04:14] Well, he was sort of Italian; he was an Italian-American gangster called Albert Anastasia.
[00:04:21] So, why did he do it, if indeed he did do it?
[00:04:26] Well, it wasn’t because he was an Axis spy, or because he was anti-America.
[00:04:32] It was, to quote Don Corleone in the Godfather, “strictly business”.
[00:04:38] The main theory about why he did it, or claimed to do it, is because he wanted to force the US government to pay for mafia protection in the ports.
[00:04:50] Many American ports, especially on the east side of the country, had been effectively controlled by organised criminals, and this was Anastasia’s way of saying, hey, US government, this ship was in my territory, and if you don’t pay me, this is what happens.
[00:05:09] Another theory is actually a little more cunning, a little more clever.
[00:05:15] Yes, he wanted to create disruption in the docks so that the US government would seek the help of the mafia, but his objective wasn’t financial gain, it wasn’t to be paid.
[00:05:27] It was so that it would eventually lead the US authorities to seek the help of the one man who ultimately controlled the docks: Anastasia’s boss, Charles “Lucky” Luciano.
[00:05:42] “Lucky” Luciano, who you may remember from our episodes on the Five Families of New York, was a major mob boss, he was one of the most powerful figures in organised crime.
[00:05:54] But there was a problem.
[00:05:57] Luciano was in prison at the time, serving a 30 to 50 year sentence.
[00:06:04] If Anastasia could show the US authorities that collaborating with the mafia was in their interest, this might be good news for Luciano. It would give him an opportunity to help the US government, and leverage when it came to asking for a reduced sentence.
[00:06:23] This might sound like an unlikely theory, but it is precisely what happened eventually, the unlikely partnership between the US government and the Italian-American mafia.
[00:06:37] And this was no “unofficial”, or at least low level partnership; a high-ranking US officer called Commander Charles R. Haffenden was put in charge of the operation to seek collaboration with criminals to protect the ports and sniff out spies.
[00:06:55] The first person he sought the help of was a man called Joseph “Socks” Lanza, who was a mafia boss who controlled the fish market and the Seafood Workers Union..
[00:07:07] You might think that “socks” is an unusual name for a gangster, but here’s an unusual piece of English for you; to “sock” someone is slang for hitting someone very hard.
[00:07:21] And Socks earned his nickname, apparently, for his ability to knock a man out with one blow.
[00:07:29] This meeting between "Socks" and Haffendan was the first step of a highly secretive campaign that would be codenamed “Operation Underworld”.
[00:07:40] The proposal went something like this: “Socks” would provide information on anyone suspected of having sympathies for Mussolini, the Italian leader, and therefore of being a potential spy. He would let the government know of any planned sabotage attacks, or of anyone who was known to be spying for the enemy.
[00:08:02] And what would “Socks” get in return?
[00:08:06] He wasn’t offered any kind of immunity from prosecution from criminal activity, or any kind of cash payment.
[00:08:13] So what was in it for him?
[00:08:17] Well, perhaps there was some kind of masterplan from Anastasia, that these criminals would agree to help because it all served to ultimately lead the US government to their boss, “Lucky” Luciano.
[00:08:31] The real reason however might be a little more practical: “Socks” had recently been charged with racketeering, and if he was caught taking part in any more criminal activity, it was very likely that he would be sent to prison, and the mob did not want this to happen.
[00:08:48] Essentially, this collaboration with the government was a way for “Socks” firstly to stay out of trouble and secondly to get in the authorities’ good books.
[00:08:58] He was more useful to the mafia outside of prison, controlling the fish market, than he would be behind bars.
[00:09:07] A week after the initial contact, “Socks” met Commander Charles Haffenden and agreed to cooperate, saying “You let me know where you want the contacts made, or what you want, and I’ll carry on.”
[00:09:22] From that moment on, “Socks” became a key partner to the US government.
[00:09:28] Firstly, he gave union cards to U.S government agents, allowing them to go undercover in the Seafood Workers’ Union and try to identify potential spies amongst the majority Italian workforce.
[00:09:42] “Socks” also used trusted drivers and dock workers to report back to him with any suspicious activity in the ports. He kept the US authorities informed about any possible spies in the piers, or suspicious materials coming in, or going out.
[00:09:59] He was, so it appears, a good partner to the government, but he advised Commander Haffenden that if he wanted to get the total loyalty of the Italian dockworkers, he would need to go up one level, and start speaking with his boss, Lucky Luciano.
[00:10:18] Afterall, Luciano was the crime figure for whom “Socks” oversaw Fulton Fish Market, and he was a much more powerful man.
[00:10:28] As a quick reminder of who this man was, by 1942, Lucky Luciano was still one of the most powerful men in organised crime, despite having been behind bars since 1936.
[00:10:42] “Socks” explained to the authorities that although Luciano was in prison, he still had the ultimate control of the docks, and would be a powerful partner.
[00:10:53] He got word through to Luciano, who agreed to assist the war effort, communicating with the authorities through his trusted associate and mob accountant, Meyer Lansky.
[00:11:05] As a quick side note, if you’d like to listen to an episode just on the unusual life of mob accountant Meyer Lansky, episode number 264 is the one for you.
[00:11:17] Now, as to the question of why Luciano agreed to help the government, well, he had been sentenced to up to 50 years in prison and he was prepared to do whatever he could to reduce his sentence and get out of jail.
[00:11:33] After agreeing to help, Luciano started sending instructions to his associates.
[00:11:38] Via Lansky, he demanded that his associates be on the lookout for potential spies or suspicious activity along the shores.
[00:11:49] And…perhaps unsurprisingly, it worked, or at least it seemed like it worked.
[00:11:56] Soon after Luciano got involved, there was less theft of war supplies, and Union strikes, which were common and disrupted wartime operations, became less frequent.
[00:12:09] Now, while Luciano’s influence in stopping disruption will never be fully clear, there is some correlation between him starting to cooperate with the authorities, and the disruption reducing.
[00:12:23] It certainly seemed that he thought he had done enough to start calling in favours, and he decided it was time to start asking for his reward.
[00:12:33] Clearly, his bargaining power was limited. He was in prison for 30 to 50 years after all.
[00:12:41] So, what did he want?
[00:12:43] Well, for starters, he wanted to be moved to a nicer prison.
[00:12:48] This seemed reasonable enough to the authorities, and soon enough, he was transferred to a more comfortable prison.
[00:12:57] The deal was working, and from his new cell, Luciano would go on to help with something even more important, the US invasion of Sicily the following year.
[00:13:10] As a quick reminder of what was happening in Europe at the time, in 1942 the majority of the continent was under Axis control, it was controlled by the Germans.
[00:13:22] There were numerous entry points that were considered as potential places to launch an Allied attack on the continent, one of which was Sicily, the island at the south of the Italian peninsula.
[00:13:35] The idea was to land in Sicily and use that as a springboard to launch a campaign to invade mainland Italy, overthrow the Fascist Italian and Nazi German troops stationed across the country, and then move up through Europe.
[00:13:52] This would be codenamed “Operation Husky”, and, to cut a long story short, it worked.
[00:14:00] Now, where does our friend Charles “Lucky” Luciano come into all of this?
[00:14:05] Well, Luciano was Sicilian.
[00:14:08] Although his family had moved to the US when he was eight years old, he had extensive criminal contacts on the island.
[00:14:17] Luciano pulled some strings, and his mafia colleagues in Sicily were a great help to the Allied forces both in the planning for the invasion and when they arrived on the island.
[00:14:31] Now, you might be rightfully asking…why would they help the Americans?
[00:14:37] Yes, Luciano asked them to, but let’s remember that the Americans were fighting against their countrymen, the US was at war with Italy.
[00:14:48] Again, there is no one simple answer here, but it’s fair to say that the mafia and Mussolini, the Italian dictator, did not see eye to eye.
[00:15:00] Firstly the entire philosophy of fascism is that of the supreme control of the state.
[00:15:08] And if a non-state entity, especially a criminal entity, is in control, well that is problematic in a fascist dictatorship.
[00:15:19] Secondly, there are reasons to believe that there was also personal animosity between Mussolini and Sicilian organised criminals.
[00:15:28] All this began with an unsuccessful political visit to Sicily in May of 1924. Mussolini had become Prime Minister two years prior, and he visited Sicily to make a public address in an attempt to improve his popularity in the region.
[00:15:48] He arrived with a large military security team, including battleships, aeroplanes and submarines, clear signs of the power of the state.
[00:16:00] When he arrived, he was met by a man called Don Francesco Cuccia, a mayor of a small town outside Palermo called Piana dei Greci.
[00:16:11] Cuccia was a politician, but he also happened to be an influential member of the Sicilian mafia.
[00:16:20] He was unimpressed with Mussolini’s perceived need to bring his own protection, and he told the Prime Minister “You are with me; you are under my protection.”
[00:16:32] Essentially, he told Mussolini that his ships and aeroplanes weren’t needed. Mussolini was furious; he was the leader of Italy, he didn’t accept favours from some local crook.
[00:16:46] He refused Cuccia’s offer, keeping his troops with him.
[00:16:51] And if you know anything about the mafia, you’ll know that it’s not always a good idea to reject them.
[00:16:59] In response to Mussolini’s refusal, Cuccia ordered his townspeople to boycott Mussolini’s speech, meaning that the Prime Minister ended up addressing a practically empty town square.
[00:17:13] It was deeply embarrassing, and Mussolini was livid. He cut short his Sicilian tour, and from that day onwards was determined to crush the mafia.
[00:17:27] By the time 1943 came along, Mussolini had spent the best part of twenty years trying to destroy the mafia, so when the opportunity arose to help the Allies get rid of Mussolini, you can see the attraction.
[00:17:42] So, what did everyone get out of this?
[00:17:45] Well, the United States was given a helping hand with the invasion of Sicily, which resulted in the overthrowing of Mussolini and the capture of the entire Italian peninsula.
[00:17:57] Could this have happened without the help of the mafia, and without Lucky Luciano? Most probably, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
[00:18:06] Indeed, the US forces only suffered very minor casualties when they attacked Sicily from the western side of the island, while the British forces suffered much higher casualties after attacking from the southern side of the island.
[00:18:22] Was this coincidence, other factors, or the handiwork of Lucky Luciano?
[00:18:29] Luciano certainly thought that he had been a huge help, and he wasted no time in calling in a big favour in return for facilitating this assistance.
[00:18:41] Not long after the war ended, Luciano filed an appeal for clemency.
[00:18:47] On January the 3rd, 1946, he received a pardon, he went free, after serving 9½ years of what should have been up to 50 years in prison. Somewhat poignantly, it was the man who had sentenced Luciano ten years beforehand, Governor Thomas E. Dewey, who pardoned him.
[00:19:10] The one condition of his pardon was that he was to be deported to Italy, which duly happened in February of 1946.
[00:19:20] And, as you may know, Lucky Luciano didn’t exactly put his feet up and leave his life of crime behind.
[00:19:27] If anything, it intensified, and his criminal ways continued right up until his death from a heart attack at Naples Airport in 1962.
[00:19:38] And, as to the impact and legacy of Operation Underworld, it is still a hotly debated subject.
[00:19:46] It seems like there’s no question of it hurting the war effort, but the extent to which it had any positive impact is debated.
[00:19:55] Indeed, to this very day the full extent of Operation Underworld has never truly been acknowledged by the U.S government, but one thing is for sure: it certainly is an unusual story.
[00:20:10] OK then, that is it for today's episode on Operation Underworld, the unusual deal between the United States and the mafia.
[00:20:19] As always, I would love to know what you thought about this episode.
[00:20:22] How much of an impact do you think this really had?
[00:20:25] Do you think that governments should ever enter into agreements with criminals, if there can be some kind of positive outcome?
[00:20:33] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:20:37] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:20:45] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:20:50] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
[00:00:05] Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English, the show where you can listen to fascinating stories and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:21] I'm Alastair Budge, and today we are going to be talking about something called Operation Underworld.
[00:00:28] It’s an unbelievable story of collaboration between the US government and an unlikely ally…the Italian-American mafia.
[00:00:37] So, let’s not waste a minute, and get right into the story of Operation Underworld.
[00:00:45] On Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 7:48 a.m Hawaiian time, 353 Japanese bombers launched a surprise attack on the American base at Pearl Harbour.
[00:01:01] The result was, as you will know, the United States declaring war on Japan, with it, its Axis ally, Germany, and the balance of power starting to shift in the Second World War.
[00:01:15] With the main field of battle in Europe, the Americans needed to send supplies, military equipment and of course soldiers across the Atlantic.
[00:01:25] But there was a problem.
[00:01:28] To get to Europe, ships needed to cross the Atlantic, weaving their way past German submarines and bombers that roamed the Atlantic Ocean.
[00:01:40] Many didn’t make it through.
[00:01:43] Indeed, in the three months after Pearl Harbor, the United States lost 120 ships, more than one a day.
[00:01:53] Of course, some losses were inevitable, they were to be expected.
[00:01:58] But many people suspected that these numbers were higher than they should have been, and that spies were passing information to the enemy. Vital information about these ships, and the details of where they would be going and when was being shared with the Nazis, meaning that the ships would be sunk before they reached their final destination.
[00:02:23] Some never even made it out of the American port.
[00:02:27] Most famously, on February the 9th, of 1942, so almost exactly three months after Pearl Harbour, there was a boat docked in the New York shipyard.
[00:02:39] It was originally a luxury French ocean liner called Normandie, and she was the fastest ocean liner in the world when she first entered service in 1935.
[00:02:51] She had carried passengers such as Ernest Hemingway and Walt Disney, and even the entire von Trapp family of singers from the Sound of Music.
[00:03:01] But in 1942, there was little need for luxury liners; her talents could be better used elsewhere.
[00:03:10] She had been in New York since the start of the war, and in 1942 the decision was taken to turn her into a troop ship, to ready her for battle.
[00:03:22] But on February the 9th, 1942, she caught fire.
[00:03:28] As the great vessel burned, smoke filled the Manhattan skyline.
[00:03:34] The blaze was eventually put out, but the ship was effectively destroyed, she was made unusable.
[00:03:42] The US authorities said that the fire was an unfortunate accident, but there was widespread scepticism about this.
[00:03:50] Fingers were soon pointed.
[00:03:54] Was it Axis saboteurs, Nazi spies who had purposefully destroyed this ship before she was able to set sail for Europe?
[00:04:03] Soon enough, someone even came forward to claim responsibility, but that person was not German, not Japanese, and not Italian.
[00:04:14] Well, he was sort of Italian; he was an Italian-American gangster called Albert Anastasia.
[00:04:21] So, why did he do it, if indeed he did do it?
[00:04:26] Well, it wasn’t because he was an Axis spy, or because he was anti-America.
[00:04:32] It was, to quote Don Corleone in the Godfather, “strictly business”.
[00:04:38] The main theory about why he did it, or claimed to do it, is because he wanted to force the US government to pay for mafia protection in the ports.
[00:04:50] Many American ports, especially on the east side of the country, had been effectively controlled by organised criminals, and this was Anastasia’s way of saying, hey, US government, this ship was in my territory, and if you don’t pay me, this is what happens.
[00:05:09] Another theory is actually a little more cunning, a little more clever.
[00:05:15] Yes, he wanted to create disruption in the docks so that the US government would seek the help of the mafia, but his objective wasn’t financial gain, it wasn’t to be paid.
[00:05:27] It was so that it would eventually lead the US authorities to seek the help of the one man who ultimately controlled the docks: Anastasia’s boss, Charles “Lucky” Luciano.
[00:05:42] “Lucky” Luciano, who you may remember from our episodes on the Five Families of New York, was a major mob boss, he was one of the most powerful figures in organised crime.
[00:05:54] But there was a problem.
[00:05:57] Luciano was in prison at the time, serving a 30 to 50 year sentence.
[00:06:04] If Anastasia could show the US authorities that collaborating with the mafia was in their interest, this might be good news for Luciano. It would give him an opportunity to help the US government, and leverage when it came to asking for a reduced sentence.
[00:06:23] This might sound like an unlikely theory, but it is precisely what happened eventually, the unlikely partnership between the US government and the Italian-American mafia.
[00:06:37] And this was no “unofficial”, or at least low level partnership; a high-ranking US officer called Commander Charles R. Haffenden was put in charge of the operation to seek collaboration with criminals to protect the ports and sniff out spies.
[00:06:55] The first person he sought the help of was a man called Joseph “Socks” Lanza, who was a mafia boss who controlled the fish market and the Seafood Workers Union..
[00:07:07] You might think that “socks” is an unusual name for a gangster, but here’s an unusual piece of English for you; to “sock” someone is slang for hitting someone very hard.
[00:07:21] And Socks earned his nickname, apparently, for his ability to knock a man out with one blow.
[00:07:29] This meeting between "Socks" and Haffendan was the first step of a highly secretive campaign that would be codenamed “Operation Underworld”.
[00:07:40] The proposal went something like this: “Socks” would provide information on anyone suspected of having sympathies for Mussolini, the Italian leader, and therefore of being a potential spy. He would let the government know of any planned sabotage attacks, or of anyone who was known to be spying for the enemy.
[00:08:02] And what would “Socks” get in return?
[00:08:06] He wasn’t offered any kind of immunity from prosecution from criminal activity, or any kind of cash payment.
[00:08:13] So what was in it for him?
[00:08:17] Well, perhaps there was some kind of masterplan from Anastasia, that these criminals would agree to help because it all served to ultimately lead the US government to their boss, “Lucky” Luciano.
[00:08:31] The real reason however might be a little more practical: “Socks” had recently been charged with racketeering, and if he was caught taking part in any more criminal activity, it was very likely that he would be sent to prison, and the mob did not want this to happen.
[00:08:48] Essentially, this collaboration with the government was a way for “Socks” firstly to stay out of trouble and secondly to get in the authorities’ good books.
[00:08:58] He was more useful to the mafia outside of prison, controlling the fish market, than he would be behind bars.
[00:09:07] A week after the initial contact, “Socks” met Commander Charles Haffenden and agreed to cooperate, saying “You let me know where you want the contacts made, or what you want, and I’ll carry on.”
[00:09:22] From that moment on, “Socks” became a key partner to the US government.
[00:09:28] Firstly, he gave union cards to U.S government agents, allowing them to go undercover in the Seafood Workers’ Union and try to identify potential spies amongst the majority Italian workforce.
[00:09:42] “Socks” also used trusted drivers and dock workers to report back to him with any suspicious activity in the ports. He kept the US authorities informed about any possible spies in the piers, or suspicious materials coming in, or going out.
[00:09:59] He was, so it appears, a good partner to the government, but he advised Commander Haffenden that if he wanted to get the total loyalty of the Italian dockworkers, he would need to go up one level, and start speaking with his boss, Lucky Luciano.
[00:10:18] Afterall, Luciano was the crime figure for whom “Socks” oversaw Fulton Fish Market, and he was a much more powerful man.
[00:10:28] As a quick reminder of who this man was, by 1942, Lucky Luciano was still one of the most powerful men in organised crime, despite having been behind bars since 1936.
[00:10:42] “Socks” explained to the authorities that although Luciano was in prison, he still had the ultimate control of the docks, and would be a powerful partner.
[00:10:53] He got word through to Luciano, who agreed to assist the war effort, communicating with the authorities through his trusted associate and mob accountant, Meyer Lansky.
[00:11:05] As a quick side note, if you’d like to listen to an episode just on the unusual life of mob accountant Meyer Lansky, episode number 264 is the one for you.
[00:11:17] Now, as to the question of why Luciano agreed to help the government, well, he had been sentenced to up to 50 years in prison and he was prepared to do whatever he could to reduce his sentence and get out of jail.
[00:11:33] After agreeing to help, Luciano started sending instructions to his associates.
[00:11:38] Via Lansky, he demanded that his associates be on the lookout for potential spies or suspicious activity along the shores.
[00:11:49] And…perhaps unsurprisingly, it worked, or at least it seemed like it worked.
[00:11:56] Soon after Luciano got involved, there was less theft of war supplies, and Union strikes, which were common and disrupted wartime operations, became less frequent.
[00:12:09] Now, while Luciano’s influence in stopping disruption will never be fully clear, there is some correlation between him starting to cooperate with the authorities, and the disruption reducing.
[00:12:23] It certainly seemed that he thought he had done enough to start calling in favours, and he decided it was time to start asking for his reward.
[00:12:33] Clearly, his bargaining power was limited. He was in prison for 30 to 50 years after all.
[00:12:41] So, what did he want?
[00:12:43] Well, for starters, he wanted to be moved to a nicer prison.
[00:12:48] This seemed reasonable enough to the authorities, and soon enough, he was transferred to a more comfortable prison.
[00:12:57] The deal was working, and from his new cell, Luciano would go on to help with something even more important, the US invasion of Sicily the following year.
[00:13:10] As a quick reminder of what was happening in Europe at the time, in 1942 the majority of the continent was under Axis control, it was controlled by the Germans.
[00:13:22] There were numerous entry points that were considered as potential places to launch an Allied attack on the continent, one of which was Sicily, the island at the south of the Italian peninsula.
[00:13:35] The idea was to land in Sicily and use that as a springboard to launch a campaign to invade mainland Italy, overthrow the Fascist Italian and Nazi German troops stationed across the country, and then move up through Europe.
[00:13:52] This would be codenamed “Operation Husky”, and, to cut a long story short, it worked.
[00:14:00] Now, where does our friend Charles “Lucky” Luciano come into all of this?
[00:14:05] Well, Luciano was Sicilian.
[00:14:08] Although his family had moved to the US when he was eight years old, he had extensive criminal contacts on the island.
[00:14:17] Luciano pulled some strings, and his mafia colleagues in Sicily were a great help to the Allied forces both in the planning for the invasion and when they arrived on the island.
[00:14:31] Now, you might be rightfully asking…why would they help the Americans?
[00:14:37] Yes, Luciano asked them to, but let’s remember that the Americans were fighting against their countrymen, the US was at war with Italy.
[00:14:48] Again, there is no one simple answer here, but it’s fair to say that the mafia and Mussolini, the Italian dictator, did not see eye to eye.
[00:15:00] Firstly the entire philosophy of fascism is that of the supreme control of the state.
[00:15:08] And if a non-state entity, especially a criminal entity, is in control, well that is problematic in a fascist dictatorship.
[00:15:19] Secondly, there are reasons to believe that there was also personal animosity between Mussolini and Sicilian organised criminals.
[00:15:28] All this began with an unsuccessful political visit to Sicily in May of 1924. Mussolini had become Prime Minister two years prior, and he visited Sicily to make a public address in an attempt to improve his popularity in the region.
[00:15:48] He arrived with a large military security team, including battleships, aeroplanes and submarines, clear signs of the power of the state.
[00:16:00] When he arrived, he was met by a man called Don Francesco Cuccia, a mayor of a small town outside Palermo called Piana dei Greci.
[00:16:11] Cuccia was a politician, but he also happened to be an influential member of the Sicilian mafia.
[00:16:20] He was unimpressed with Mussolini’s perceived need to bring his own protection, and he told the Prime Minister “You are with me; you are under my protection.”
[00:16:32] Essentially, he told Mussolini that his ships and aeroplanes weren’t needed. Mussolini was furious; he was the leader of Italy, he didn’t accept favours from some local crook.
[00:16:46] He refused Cuccia’s offer, keeping his troops with him.
[00:16:51] And if you know anything about the mafia, you’ll know that it’s not always a good idea to reject them.
[00:16:59] In response to Mussolini’s refusal, Cuccia ordered his townspeople to boycott Mussolini’s speech, meaning that the Prime Minister ended up addressing a practically empty town square.
[00:17:13] It was deeply embarrassing, and Mussolini was livid. He cut short his Sicilian tour, and from that day onwards was determined to crush the mafia.
[00:17:27] By the time 1943 came along, Mussolini had spent the best part of twenty years trying to destroy the mafia, so when the opportunity arose to help the Allies get rid of Mussolini, you can see the attraction.
[00:17:42] So, what did everyone get out of this?
[00:17:45] Well, the United States was given a helping hand with the invasion of Sicily, which resulted in the overthrowing of Mussolini and the capture of the entire Italian peninsula.
[00:17:57] Could this have happened without the help of the mafia, and without Lucky Luciano? Most probably, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
[00:18:06] Indeed, the US forces only suffered very minor casualties when they attacked Sicily from the western side of the island, while the British forces suffered much higher casualties after attacking from the southern side of the island.
[00:18:22] Was this coincidence, other factors, or the handiwork of Lucky Luciano?
[00:18:29] Luciano certainly thought that he had been a huge help, and he wasted no time in calling in a big favour in return for facilitating this assistance.
[00:18:41] Not long after the war ended, Luciano filed an appeal for clemency.
[00:18:47] On January the 3rd, 1946, he received a pardon, he went free, after serving 9½ years of what should have been up to 50 years in prison. Somewhat poignantly, it was the man who had sentenced Luciano ten years beforehand, Governor Thomas E. Dewey, who pardoned him.
[00:19:10] The one condition of his pardon was that he was to be deported to Italy, which duly happened in February of 1946.
[00:19:20] And, as you may know, Lucky Luciano didn’t exactly put his feet up and leave his life of crime behind.
[00:19:27] If anything, it intensified, and his criminal ways continued right up until his death from a heart attack at Naples Airport in 1962.
[00:19:38] And, as to the impact and legacy of Operation Underworld, it is still a hotly debated subject.
[00:19:46] It seems like there’s no question of it hurting the war effort, but the extent to which it had any positive impact is debated.
[00:19:55] Indeed, to this very day the full extent of Operation Underworld has never truly been acknowledged by the U.S government, but one thing is for sure: it certainly is an unusual story.
[00:20:10] OK then, that is it for today's episode on Operation Underworld, the unusual deal between the United States and the mafia.
[00:20:19] As always, I would love to know what you thought about this episode.
[00:20:22] How much of an impact do you think this really had?
[00:20:25] Do you think that governments should ever enter into agreements with criminals, if there can be some kind of positive outcome?
[00:20:33] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:20:37] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:20:45] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:20:50] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
