Evening star., 1951-07-19

In fact, some Of the witnesses
who we had good reason to be-
This 10 The second Of series Of 70 articles
condensed from the book, Crime in
Amsriea." by Senator Kefouver. former
eheirmon Of the Crime investigating
Committee.
lieve could tell the Senate Crime
Committee about the Malta.
sought to shrug it OF as q sort of
fairy tale or legend that children
hear In Sicily where the Malta
originated. The Maf1a. however,
Is no fairy tale. It is ominously
real. and 1t has SCARED the face
Of America with murder, traffic
tn narcotics. smuggling, extortion,
white slavery, kidnapping and la
bor-racketeering.
La Malta even has its secret
and, Of course, unwritten-code
called "Omerta," q derivation of
the italian word for man" The
code is simple and brutal: death
to those who resist or inform on
the Malta. Usually. q member Of
the offenders family is killed as
additional warning. "Maf1oSi and
law-abiding Sicilians alike live in
mortal fear Of "omerta."
Narcotics Agent Claude ,. Foil
mer testified that there is "some
contention" as to the identity Of
the New York head Of the Mafia.
He revealed that ''it has always
been my understanding that 1t is
either Vincent Mangano or Jo-
seph Profaci."
Mangano Is said by New York
police to be active in Brooklyn
waterfront rackets. We had
planned to question him. but our
hearing time was consumed by
other developments. His brother,
Philip Mangano, also active on
the waterfront and publicly iden-
titled as prominent in the Malta,
was questioned by the committee
In executive closed session. A
month after our New York hear
1ngs, Philip Mangano was found
dead in q Brooklyn swamp, shot
three times in the head.
Profaci. q Sicilian by birth, is a
prosperous Brooklyn merchant
who deals In olive oil. Both Pro-
faci and Mangano were among
number Of men Of Sicilian and
Italian extraction arrested at a
mysterious meeting in 1928.
When we questioned 1rofaci, he
told us the only conviction on his
record Is one for selling adulter-
ated olive oil.
Violated Mafia Code.
Ironically, Carl Carramusa,
whose brother was murdered by
the Mafia, became involved with
it some "a years later and was
picked up as a member Of q mar
cotics ring. He turned govern
ment witness in violation Of the
Mafia code. and his testimony
played q large par In breaking
up the ring.
Carramuse attempted to escape
Mafia vengeance by going into
hiding. changing his name, and
starting q new life with his wife
and family In Chicago. It was no
use. Three years later, his head
was blown OF by Q shotgun blast
Just as his family was about to
join him IN his automobile en-
route to o wedding anniversary
party.
Agent Follmer told how the
Narcotic Bureau In the early 1940s
broke up q vicious Malta backed
Kansas City narcotics ring. "All
Of these persons" he related,
were members Of the Mafla, or
Black Hand, and were financed In
the narcotics traffic as q group by
the Malta. This Mafia subsidiary
placed the illicit drug traffic on a
business-like basis and hired a
legal advisor. supervisor, general
manager, travelling representa-
tive, o bookkeeper, and an extern
sive retail sales force.
"At st. Louis, a branch Office
operated under John Vitale, who
was in turn under the domination
Of Thomas Buffa and Tony Lopi-
paro, chiefs Of the st. Louis
Mafia."
1n st. Louis, some months later,
the committee summoned Gang
ster Lopiparo, alias 'Lopip," to
ask him about his presence with a
group Of Sicilian gangsters in Tia
Juana. Mexico, about the time
Binaggio and Garrotta were mur-
dered In Kansas City. Lopiparo
ut first was a sullen, snarling wit
ness. He crouched in the witness
chair and refused even to admit
he had been In Tia Juana. When
I asked him on what legal ground
he could justify his refusal, he
snapped back: Haven't I got d
constitution?")
European Source of Supply.
"In 1872" Follmer went on, cit
was determined that one of the
sources Of supply for the Kansas
City group was O Malta organi-
xation In Tampa, Fla, which in
turn received smuggled drugs
from Marseilles, France, via Ha-
vana. Cuba. It was also indicated
that Sebastino Mani, one-time
Brooklyn Malta hoodlum, now es-
tablished in California, had fur
nished several large shipments of
drugs to the Kansas City syndi-
cate from New York"
When the committee said that
Lucky Luciano. now in exile in
Italy after his deportation from
the Omitted States, was operating
rs the international arbiter of
crime. an associate Of Luciano
In Italy protested that once again
poor Mr.. Luciano was being