The Enemy Within: The McClellan Committee's Crusade Against Jimmy Hoffa And Corrupt Labor Unions

by Robert F. Kennedy, Edwin Guthman (Introduction)

This is the authoritative, compelling account of one of the most famous, consummate, and effective Senate investigations in modern Congressional history. From 1956 to 1959 the Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field (chaired by Sen. McClellan and guided by chief counsel Robert Kennedy) heard more than 1500 witnesses and uncovered a shocking story, proving that labor leaders, management, the underworld, and public officials, sometimes in combination, sometimes separately, had worked to cheat and intimidate the rank-and-file union members. These revelations resulted in convictions, tough labor reform legislation, and a public awareness of organized crime's insidious and corrosive influence. Writing crisply, with indignation but also with humor, Kennedy focuses on how unions are bought, sold, and sometimes stolen; how 'democracy' actually operated in Jimmy Hoffa's captive unions and what happened to the men who dared to oppose him; how Hoffa was tried on charges of attempting to plant a spy in the McClellan Committee; how an investigating committee works; how the Committee resisted external pressures, threats, and ploys to derail its efforts; and more. The Enemy Within is illuminated by firsthand knowledge and charged with the fire of personal conviction. With a new introduction by the chairman of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, this book remains a vivid testament to Robert Kennedy's early commitment to equal justice for leaders and laborers alike.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Politics, Crime, Classics

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy, also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a US Senator from New York from 1965 until his assassination in 1968. He was one of US President John F. Kennedy's younger brothers, and also one of his most trusted advisors and worked closely with the president during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He also made a significant contribution to the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

After his brother's assassination in late 1963, Kennedy continued as Attorney General under President Johnson for nine months. He resigned in September 1964 and was elected to the United States Senate from New York that November. He broke with Johnson over the Vietnam War, among other issues.

After Eugene McCarthy nearly defeated Johnson in the New Hampshire Primary in early 1968, Kennedy announced his own campaign for president, seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party. Kennedy defeated McCarthy in the critical California primary but was shot shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, dying on June 6. On June 9, President Johnson declared an official day of national mourning in response to the public grief following Kennedy's death.

His son is Robert F. Kennedy Jr..

Reviews

[Marilyn Getts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoffa talks and I hear Donald Trump.
Hoffa has a bravado, a swagger, and the inability to remember things, just like our current president. It's like they grew up in the same community.
Robert Kennedy's account of his work with the McClellan Committee may not be as interesting to today's reader as it was in the 1950's, but the tales of wise guys, grifters, and sleazy union bosses caught my attention. It is also about their distain for the little rich boy, Robert Kennedy and Kennedy's bulldog reaction. He keeps holding on to the pant's leg until he gets something.
There are those that remember the 1950's fondly as a golden age. This book will put that notion into perspective.

[John Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bobby Kennedy's book would seem to have no relevance outside of its narrow historical context: he served on the McClellan committee, a U.S. senate congressional investigative committee, investigating and seeking to oust corruption and wrongdoing in the labor field, particularly in labor unions, in the late 1950's. Some famous names appear in this book, including John and Bobby Kennedy, Senator Goldwater, Senator McCarthy, and particularly Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters. Despite knowing that at least part of the motivation for writing this book was what we may derisively call "political," and a major part of his brother John's motivation for writing Profiles in Courage was also political, I very much liked J.F.K.'s Profiles book and decided to give his brother a chance. Besides, I have this book in my library thanks to my rampaging my grandmother's and grandfather's library, and out of respect for them I like to read what they have read. I was not disappointed, because many parts of The Enemy Within transcend the small historical context that the book was written in.

Yes, this book does almost exclusively talk about the doings and findings of the committee and rarely switches into Robert Kennedy's prescriptions or philosophies for government or the future, but even when the book is slowed down to the narrow historical context of the committee, and even when Kennedy is clearly aiming at political gain, many readers can still find something to keep them reading. I say that mostly because I assume that no one will pick this book up that "hates politics"--even though "politics" should simply mean our dealing with one another in an efficient and sociable and secure manner--no one should hate politics. Excuse my brief philosophical essay. But insight into how some labor unions used to operate, especially Hoffa and the Teamsters, is rather fascinating. At least it is for a New England boy like me, who grew up learning about all the great work labor unions have done since their inception and how thankful we should be for unions. Are unions still the same today as they were then? No, partly because of the laws passed subsequent to the work of the McClellan committee, but the general theme of power in the hands of unions remains the same. How can we trust that a union with so much power is working for the good of the union members and for the good of society as a whole? We can't is essentially the answer, and Kennedy's answer, but Kennedy points out that what we can do is always keep a watchful eye. And that, aside from detailing the doings of the committee, is the purpose of the book.

The whole book is geared toward showing why and how we as a society must keep watch over our government, our employers, and our unions; why and how we must ALL be involved in the operation of our democracies. Personally I wish Kennedy talked more about this, but his conclusion chapter is rather short. Perhaps he was trying to avoid speculation that he wrote the book for political purposes by limiting the length of his conclusion.

Also, I think the book has some value for historical purposes as well. Kennedy does a so-so job explaining some of the laws and goings-on for posterity, assuming that his readers will know already what he's talking about. But regardless, I have heard so much about Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters and I never knew why. Now I do. And I know a lot more about how unions operate and how they are formed. Besides, some of the stories are funny and/or intriguing. At one point, and I'm paraphrasing here, someone says to Kennedy: "That guy called you a little menacing devil. I think you should sue him. You're not so little."

Perhaps the main historical lesson that we can learn from this book comes to us not from Kennedy himself but from our own lives fifty years later: we can compare and contrast how we involve ourselves in politics and how the media covers politics and unions to what Kennedy describes. For me, this was fascinating. It would seem like the number of people watching C-SPAN or its equivalent used to be far higher than now, and that the number of people who passionately contacted governmental representatives were far higher. Not that I mean to deprecate our present culture of apathy, but it certainly does seem like we pale in comparison. Granted, a congressional investigation into the largest labor union in the country is big news and it would garner a lot of attention from citizens and the media. So, too, though, is the congressional investigation into the Libyan attack on the U.S. consulate big news and should garner a lot of attention. The news did receive attention when the attack first occurred and the news was still attracting viewers and keeping ratings high. Once the news became old, though, the media and everyone else seem to have forgotten. I don't hear anyone's talking about the hearings and debates on national security that have been going on for the past few months and aired on C-SPAN. Perhaps we have failed to heed Kennedy's warning that we must weed out the enemy within.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

while I admire the work of the Kennedy family and their work in politics I have to say this book although very informative about a different time in our country was kind of dry and confusing at times to say the least. Although I always like a book no matter how bad it may be where you learned something. In this case I learned a lot about corruption, were unions, how to investigate work unions, Jimmy Hoffa and the different Senate committees that are formed. So from that aspect this book sheds some light on a lot of interesting topics. Furthermore if it were not for the work of the McClellan committee who knows what labor practices would be like today. There was a lot of key legislation that was put out as a result of the investigations by this committee and a lot of the negative things such as corruption and Jimmy Hoffa were sort of put to any and and labor unions changed dramatically.

If I had the chance to meet Robert Kennedy today I would probably commend him for his work on this committee because this book gives you an in-depth look at the countless hours everyone spent to ensure everyone that testified was treated fairly, and with the respect they deserved. I know this could not have been an easy endeavor to embark on.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this years ago in college and remember liking it a lot. Anyone interested in how unions operated back in the so-called “good ‘ol days” should read this. (Jimmy Hoffa types are still around today, only they’re in Congress running the show from the inside!)

[Cws]

331.88

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure Kennedy propaganda furthering their agenda into the clean-up of the labor unions and attempt to kick out organised crime, now that J. Edgar Hoover admits that the Mafia does exist.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great look back in History and a reminder to sat vigilante and to always try to find the truth.

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ironic that I finished reading this around the anniversary of RFK's passing. So -- all in all, I'm not sure this is a recommend for a casual reader. It's not really a narrative book, and it's not quite a government report. Though, I'd say more the latter than the former. This record of RFK's time as chief counsel on the Senate committee investigating labor unions and corruption is interesting - I've heard of Mr. Hoffa, but never really read about his particulars. This certainly makes the 1950s competitive with the storied time of the 1920s mob.

I think this book is more suited to criminal justice junkies, attorneys, and historians of the labor movement and the work of congressional committees. The reaction I kept having as I read was, "Shouldn't DOJ be serving indictments on all these folks?" It does seem there were prosecutions, but none very successful, which seems frustrating after all the hardwork of Bob's investigators.

[David Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Kennedy could do just about anything he put his mind to, but writing was not one of them. His The Enemy Within is a fascinating account of his work with the McClellan Committee investigating crime in the Labor Unions and fortunately has been documented in detail in several other books. Although this work is a great contribution to the study of an important endeavor and is fascinating in its anecdotes and comments by the lead counsel, the skills of a truly gifted chronicler are not represented here. Still, the book marked an important phase of Kennedy's phenomenal life and contributions and I'm glad I finally read it.

[Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm on a roll reading Kennedy books. I used to be a big Jimmy Hoffa guy because I'm very pro-union but holy cats, this guy was just as corrupt as Corporate America! The give and take transcripts between Bobby and Jimmy are worth the read. Just a tremendous read. Hopefully neither end up getting killed. The Enemy Within by Bobby Kennedy...Five Stars.

[Kevin Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had the book for awhile and I never read it because a number of years ago I had read Kennedy's To Seek A Newer World and I was disappointed. However, I thought that the writing was very good. I thought the stories were interesting. And I enjoyed the detail.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

An essential source for researchers of labor unions and organized crime in the 20th Century.

[Brentriggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely valuable history, but written in a manner like reading legal briefs, I was disappointed there weren’t more personal anecdotes.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enemy Within by Robert F. Kennedy is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. It offers an in-depth, highly readable account of the Senate committee hearings into organised crime’s infiltration of American trade unions during the 1950s. The exploration of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters is particularly fascinating. Hoffa comes alive on the page, a figure of bravado and slippery deflections, oddly reminiscent of certain contemporary political figures in the US (wink-wink, nudge-nudge)

If you’ve watched The Irishman, this serves as the perfect companion piece, offering a rich background on Hoffa, the Teamsters, and their Mafia connections. One of the book’s unexpected pleasures is Bobby Kennedy’s hilariously petty remarks about individuals such as Roy Cohn and others with whom he had infamous rivalries. If you’ve read other books on the Kennedys, these moments are oddly iconic!

The book also provides valuable insight into how complex investigations come together, with lawyers, investigators, accountants, and law enforcement all playing their part. It sheds light on the early formation of relationships between the Kennedy Brothers and unions such as the UAW. These ties would go on to quietly influence future campaigns.

Additionally, it’s fascinating to see how the committee became increasingly politicised as the presidential election approached, with Republicans seeking to discredit pro-Democrat unions as figures like Goldwater and McGovern emerged on the scene.

Altogether, it’s a layered, sharp, and revealing read that brilliantly captures both the public spectacle and private rivalries of the era.

So, so good!