Evening star., 1951-05-02
Grave Charges Against Mr.. O'Dwyer

OF all the newsworthy developments of the
Kefauver crime investigation, none is more SEN
sational than the committees severe denuncia-
ton of william ODwyer for having contributed
to the growth of organized crime, racketeering
and gangstersm In New York City" That is an
indictment of more than national Importance
for it casts serious aspersions on the character
of man who is this countrys chief diplomatic
representative in Mexico. The findings OF the
Senate committee regarding the former Mayor
of New York City tend to confirm the misgivings
which The Star and numerous other critics OF
the appointment expressed when the choice was
announced Mr.. ODwyer could save his own
Government and that of our Southern neighbor
a lot of embarrassment by resgning his post
but that is probably too much to expect of him.
Certainly his already dubious value as an ambas-
sador has been diminished by the latest report
of the Kefauver committee
The conclusions of the Senate group are
not far different, as matter of fact, from those
which many televiewerS formed during the
recent dramatic hearings in Manhattan The
committees reference to the shocking revela
tionS" as to the extent of official corruption
and connivance" at all levels of government
undoubtedly were based largely on the testimony
concerning the alarming alliance between gang
overlords and municipal officials in New York
City. There were many dark spots on the crime
picture nationally, but few so dark so well de-
fined and so documented as in the home of what
the committee calls the Costelo-Adonis-Lansky
crime syndicate.
The hearings revealed Frank Costello, big
time gambler and racketeer, as a power behind
the political throne in New York City, man
who could pull strings, engineer deals and mas
termind elections in the law enforcement field
The committee found it significant that friends
of Costello and Adonis and other gangsters
landed jobs of high political Importance during
Mayor ODwyer's regime and that, at the same
time, prosecution of key crime figures fell off
virtually to zero. Neither Mr.. O'Dwyer nor any
of his appontees, the committee asserted took
any effective action against the top echelons of
gambling. narcotics, murder or bookmaking
rackets. In fact, the committee added Mayor
ODwyer's actions "impeded promising investiga-
tions of such rackets."
Those are grave charges to make against
any man in public life, but the summary of testi-
mony and other evidence taken by the COM
mittee during it's New York investigation shows
that they were not carelessy drawn. Bearing
on the charges were the failure to prosecute
gangster Albert Anastasia in what Mr.. ODwyer
himself described as "a perfect murder case"
after the mysterious death of witness who had
jumped fallen or been thrown from room in
which he was under police guard; Mr. ODwyer'S
personal efforts to absolve the policemen as
signed to the guard duty; his appointment to
lucrative city Office of the man in charge of the
guard assignment; his dropping of an investiga-
ton of waterfront racketeers and other alleged
coddling of criminals during the ODwyer
regime. The committee was not impressed with
Mr.. O'Dwyer's explanation Of these failures or
laxities.
Whatever Mr.. ODwyers responsibility may
or may not have been for the sordid conditions
in his home city, the fact stands out that a
sinister alliance did exist in New York City
between crime and politics, that organized crime
on a grand scale hourished there under the
noses of the police and that gangsters Costello
and Adonis had remarkable success in getting
their friends named to high municipal posts.
Blame for such breakdown in law enforcement
cannot be placed on one man, however. AS the
Kefauver committee stresses, the voting public
must share responsibility for such fagrant de-
fiance of the law and such lapses of enforce
ment as have been disclosed in New York and
many other cities. 1t is an old axiom, but still
a good one, that the public can have any grade
of law enforcement it wants. 1t cannot expect
a good grade of service if it is apathetic toward
apathetic enforcers of the law.