The Wilmington morning star., 1947-09-12
AS Pegler Sees It
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1947, By King Features
Cvpdioofo Tuo

new 0Sd1C4s 4SNC1Aly ANs O~A
fornia, and Hollywood in particular, hao
developed an underworld. He was appre'
hensive of a gang wal and called up the
governor, Earl Warren. a republican, to
do his duty. The governor took steps. 1t is
ironic that the gangs that Senator Downey
mentions are actually a new deal under
world. The hoodlums are parasites on the
moving pictures, radio. the night clubs and
trade unions. They operate the corrupt
auxiliaries gambling, narcotics and pros
titut1on.
They enjoy the flattering attention of a
whole corps of journalists Of a peculiar
sort, few of whom ever had clty-room
training or any education beyond
the primary grades. These propagandlsts,
subject to no Verific alton, discipline or any
other standards of news journalism, have
the power to confer public recognition,
even distinction, on individuals who meet
their favor for any personal reasons. They
have the power to ~intirnidate, condemn.
silence and Danish actors, writer's, singers,
End others, for personal or political rea-
sons. They may uppress uncomplimentary
facts about individuals and create fantastic
artificial regulations and arouse sympathy.
This has been done VIGOROUSLY in the case
of Frank Sinatra, who furnished his w
reputation last winter.
Sinatra has been thrust upon the public
as a crusader for clean thought and living
and tolerance" among American youth,
particularly innocent but excitable young
girls. This was a quick and directed change
from his old propaganda by which some
alarmingly large element of adolescents
had been directed into scenes of emotional
public behavior. Sinatra, somehow, had ac-
CURED a power. He had a spell. There
was nothing quite like this in the history
of mass hysteria. The bobby soxers were
staying up far into the night on the dark
streets of New York. There were episodes
here and there over the country - shop
lifting, picketing, waywardness. It then be-
came advisable to indicate that Sinatra
Was a very wholesome, domestic fellow.
He had been hired to play the role of a
fine priest in a movie version of "The
Miracle of the Bells Therefore, in a man.
ner of speaking, it was imperative that
he be de]oused after his notorious associa-
ton last winter with Lucky Luciano, the
deported dealer in postitutes and narcot-
les, and with the Fischettis of Chicago,
who are relatives of the Capones and have
been associated with typical Capone bust
ness interests. This Luciano episode had
been followed by the smuggling Of Lee Nor
timer, a New York theatrical reporter, by
Sjnatra, in Hollywood last April. But it was
now too late to stop serious inquiries into
Sinatra's past and his associations.
In anticipation of his trial in the Nor
timer smuggling case, a anvas was made
of his early career. A seduction case turned
up and Sinatra's photographs and finger
prints from the court files were sent to
California.
Meanwhile, the .FBI and the bureau of
narcotics had come across SinaJra'S name
in their records in the routine course of
their work. Both of these agencies were in
terested in many of Sinatra's associates
- Luciano, the Fischettis and Willie Mo-
retti, a notorious New Jersey gangster who
for years has been associated with Frank
Costello, Joe Adonis, Longie Zwillman,
Meyer Lansky and the late Buggy siegal
Morettl is commonly known as Willie
Moore. Adonis, a mighty man in the under
world of New York and Brooklyn, recently
moved to Bergen Co., N. j., where Moore
is the absolute underworld boss. 1t was in
Bergen county that Sinatra was arrested
in 1888 on a charge of seduction. Slnatra
was in the roadhouse stage OF his career
and Moretti, or Moore, was his friend of
sorne years. The complaining witness de-
veloped a husband in about one month, so
the charge was reduced to adultery which,
naturally, was beneath the notice of a
worldly Bergen county grand jury. No in
dict1nent was found and Sinatra was dis
charged. The incident did indicate a GER
tain precocity, however, for it will be OBJ
S6IVGC LldL LIG 1dSGS I'll lC SdoC IlCVCl
were tried and that this experience of the
youth so soon to become the idol of Ameri-
can girlhood was by no means common
to decent young American males, however
| poor.
incidentally, Sinatra's political appeal
has been based on the piteous pretenses
that he was a poor boy and was called a
"Dago" when he was a child. He never
was dirt poor, however, and always had a
1,xo4Nrx oI1o h0ro0 ip HnhnkDn UThaco hic
father is a captain of the fire department,
an important political appointment in that
jurisdiction.
There were many respectable Italian
Americans in the area, so the picture of
little Frank Sinatra as a sensitive and OPP
pressed member of an ostracized minority
is an invention of self-serving and self
pltyine publicity. By choice, Sinatra &c
came the friend of Moretti, who was no
credit to the Italian community. Frank ap-
pears to have been tough only in a sly and
tricky way. He never made a name as an
outstanding, man-fashion fighter. In his on
ly confirmed public fisttigh it was shown
that he slugged his victim, Lee Mortimer,
with u sneak punch from behind or from
a blind side. Mortimer did not even know
Sinatra was near.
Not only Sinatra but the claque of radio
and syndicated newspaper columnists and
propa gandists who advertise underworld
personalities are clamorous idolators of the
late Roosevelt and partisan democrats.
Many of them and, of course, thousands
of magnates and actors of the movie in
dustry and radio entertainers elboWed for
room in the spotlights to show themselves
to Roosevelt and the other party bosses in
the March of Dimes and birthday ball
rites.
The -hangouts of such people nave lone
been the unofficial political headquarters
Ic$ the hOSSac and ariStOCratS IF tha now
ruling class. It was at Toots Shor's res,