The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate, started in the 1930s, by Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky and other ethnic crime bosses based in New York City and New Jersey Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... This article is about the association term. ... The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the [[. In East Asia, the rise of militarism occurred. ... Charles Lucky Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-American mobster. ... Meyer Lansky (born Majer Suchowliński, July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983) was an American gangster who, with Charles Lucky Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States. ...

As revealed by the findings of U.S. Senate Special Committee in the 1950s chaired by Estes Kefauver, it was described as a confederation of mainly Italian and Jewish organized crime groups throughout the U.S. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The issue of Time Magazine in which Kefauvers victory in the New Hampshire primary was reported. ...

According to some writers on organized crime, the Syndicate was founded or established at a May 1929 conference in Atlantic City, attended by leading underworld figures throughout the country, including Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, Johnny "The Fox" Torrio, Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, Dutch Schultz, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, Vince Mangano, gambler Frank Erickson, Frank Scalice and Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia.^[1] Others describe the Atlantic City meeting as a coordination and strategy conference for bootleggers.^[2] “Capone” redirects here. ... Meyer Lansky (born Majer Suchowliński, July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983) was an American gangster who, with Charles Lucky Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States. ... John Papa Johnny Torrio, a. ... Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, or Castilla (January 26, 1891 - February 18, 1973) was an American gangster who rose to the top of Americas underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and had political influence like no other La Cosa Nostra boss. ... Mugshot of Joe Adonis. ... Dutch Schultz (August 6, 1902 – October 24, 1935) was a New York City-area gangster of the 1920s and 30s. ... Abner Longy Zwillman (July 27, 1899/1904 - February 27, 1959), known as the Al Capone of New Jersey, was an early Jewish Prohibition gangster, a founding member of the National Crime Syndicate, and member of the Big Six Mafia Ruling Commission. ... Louis Lepke Buchalter (6 February 1897 - 4 March 1944) was a Jewish American mobster who was the notorious head of Murder, Inc. ... Vincent Mangano (March 28, 1888 - April 19, 1951) was the head of the Mangano crime family from 1931 to 1951. ... Frank Scalice (1893-June 17, 1957), also known as Don Cheech, was an Underboss of the New York Anastasia crime family who controlled narcotics and labor racketeering. ... Albert Anastasia (born Umberto Anastasio) (September 26, 1902 – October 25, 1957), aka the Mad Hatter and Lord High Executioner, was a New York Cosa Nostra boss remembered for his brutality and his role in running the contract killing gang known as Murder, Inc. ...

The supposed enforcement arm of the Syndicate was what the media dubbed Murder, Inc., a gang of Brooklyn thugs who carried out murders in the 1930s and 1940s for various crime bosses. It was headed by Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro and Anastasia, who reported to commission members Lepke and Adonis. It included many infamous mobsters such as Bugsy Siegel, the man who would later "build" Las Vegas. Murder, Inc. ... Jacob Gurrah Shapiro (May 5, 1899-June 9, 1947) was a New York mobster and, with Louis Lepke Buchalter, controlled industrial labor racketeering in New York for more than two decades. ... Benjamin Bugsy Siegel (Bairush HaLevi Bar Mordechai Dov HaLevi) (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American gangster, who was behind large-scale development of Las Vegas. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

In his 1991 biography of Meyer Lansky, Little Man, journalist Robert Lacey argues that no National Crime Syndicate ever existed. "[J. Edgar] Hoover's personal position, that the Mafia did not exist, has proven to be as erroneous as the Kefauver's Committee's belief in a national conspiracy."^[3]

The National Crime Syndicate in popular culture

The National Crime Syndicate was the subject of numerous movies, mostly in the 1950s, some of which were inspired by the Kefauver hearings. Among them were The Phenix City Story, which described the real-life takeover of a southern town by organized crime, and 711 Ocean Drive, which focused on the nationwide gambling syndicate. The Phenix City Story is a 1955 film noir directed by Phil Karlson. ...

The National Crime Syndicate features heavily in Thomas Steadman's book "The Flames of the West"

See also

• Meyer Lansky
• Lucky Luciano
• Murder, Inc.
• Albert Anastasia
• Five Families
• Chicago Outfit

Meyer Lansky (born Majer Suchowliński, July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983) was an American gangster who, with Charles Lucky Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States. ... Charles Lucky Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-American mobster. ... Murder, Inc. ... Albert Anastasia (born Umberto Anastasio) (September 26, 1902 – October 25, 1957), aka the Mad Hatter and Lord High Executioner, was a New York Cosa Nostra boss remembered for his brutality and his role in running the contract killing gang known as Murder, Inc. ... The Five Families are the major crime families of the Italian-American Mafia based in New York City which have dominated traditional organized crime in New York. ... The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Outfit is a crime syndicate that has a long and extensive history dating back to long before Prohibition and part of the U.S. phenomenon known as the Mafia. ...

References

1. ^ Carl Sifakis, The Mafia Encyclopedia: second edition, (Checkmark Books)
2. ^ Dennis Eisenberg, Uri Dan, Eli Landau, Meyer Lansky: Mogul of the Mob Paddington Press, 1979
3. ^ Robert Lacey, Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life, (Little Brown & Co., 1991), pp. 200-207.