#33: The State of the Mafia: A 1967 FBI Report (Part One)

The Gangland History Podcast: An Organized Crime & Mafia History Podcast

"To the rules that hold us together"

In this episode, we discuss a comprehensive 1967 FBI Intelligence Report distributed across all FBI field offices within the United States.

This report provided an overall picture of the American Cosa Nostra across the entire country and provided reports, taken from the accounts of 190+ informants, around the following:

• The Existence of the Organization

• Historical Background & Origins

• The Purpose and Role of the "Commission"

• Communication Between Families

• Organizational Structure & Terminology

• Qualifications and Admission to Membership

• Initiation Rites & Induction Ceremonies

The report is comprehensive and touches upon many interesting points such as:

• Chicago's Role in Communicating "Commission" Orders

• Los Angeles' Role in Relaying "Commission" Orders

• The lines of leadership succession in Philadelphia

• The ways in which each family refers to itself

• The estimated number of "made" members across the country

• The vetting process for new members

• Accounts of 5+ "making" ceremonies

As part of this episode, we discuss some myths and facts related to many of the accounts contained within the report from various informants.