Although Hoffa disappeared in 1975 and was declared legally dead in 1982, the FBI's official investigation remains open, and it continues to appeal to the public for help. Past FBI statements and leaked reports on early stages of the investigation indicate the agency believes the mob was behind Hoffa's disappearance, perhaps because it was concerned about his efforts to reclaim leadership of the Teamsters. The Teamsters and the Hoffa family will not comment on the 25th anniversary of James R. Hoffa's disappearance, according to a Teamsters spokesman. This is a closure today. We've lost a loved one, but we've got to go on.
Today is a healing day.
Many teamsters revere Hoffa as a legend who made their union one of the most influential America has ever seen. As president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in 1964, he negotiated the first industry-wide contract, the National Master Freight Agreement. Legal troubles in the mid-1960s loosened Hoffa's grip on the union. Eventually, he served four years in jail for jury tampering and defrauding a Teamsters pension fund. President Nixon commuted his sentence in 1971, but conditions of his release barred him from union activity until 1980.