Contract on America: The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy

by David E. Scheim, John H. David (introduction)

A reexamination of the Mafia's role in the assassination of John F. Kennedy discusses Jack Ruby's criminal activities, his top-level Mafia ties & how the Warren Commission covered up evidence.
Introduction-John H. Davis
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Precedents
Crossfire in Dealey Plaza
A Telltale Trail of Murder
Intrigue in New Orleans
The Why & the Wherewithal
Molding of a Mobster
The Move to Dallas
Jack Ruby's Criminal Activities
Jack Ruby's Underworld Contacts
Jack Ruby & the Dallas Police
Jack Ruby, Mobster
Perjury & Premeditation
Conspiracy
Jack Ruby's Startling Testimony
The Anti-Castro Coalition
Jack Ruby's Cuban Connection
The Warren Commission Cover-up
Nationwide Mob Contacts
The AGVA Alibi: Mob Perjury
The Mafia Killed President Kennedy
More Assassinations
Richard Nixon & the Mob
The Reagan Administration
Recommendations
Appendix 1: Additional Information on Jack Ruby
Appendix 2: Sources on the Mafia
Notes
Principal Sources
Index
Photographs

Genres: History, True Crime, Crime, Nonfiction, American History

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a meticulously researched and very well documented study of the Mafia's probable involvement in the murder of John F. Kennedy. It does not claim that the Mob acted alone. While it does suggest that the New Orleans Mafia and possibly the Teamsters initiated the hit, all the usual suspects are there as well: right-wing capitalists, compromised police officials, disgruntled Cubans, rogue C.I.A. agents and the leadership of the F.B.I.

In its narrowest focus, Contract on America is about Jack Ruby (aka Jack Rubenstein of Chicago), his life, his involvements with organized crime in the USA and in Cuba and his role in both the murders of Kennedy and Oswald. In its broadest scope, Contract on America is about the influence of the Mafia in the United States since the thirties. This influence extended to the White House under Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Reagan, but the Kennedy administration more than any other had actively opposed it.

While not definitively claiming the Mob initiated the murders of Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, author Scheim ends his book by adducing evidence suggestive of such.

Supplementing the text are about 150 pages of documentary evidence for the author's contentions.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly, if there is one piece of solid fact behind the mysteries of the JFK assassination, it is that the Mafia were involved. As decades have passed the debate continues. Who was behind the plot? Who were the shooters? How many guns, and what were their locations? Why the blatant cover-ups by FBI & CIA? Why have masses of evidence been destroyed or are still being withheld?
The single solid fact that can be taken to the bank is that Mafia, through the action of Jack Ruby, took their part in the assassination in Dallas.
David E. Scheim's 'Contract on America' (1983) in its almost five hundred pages is a far broader work on this subject than John H. Davis' 1989 publication 'Mafia Kingfish'. Much of this deeply researched text is focussed on Ruby, his history, his contacts and his actions in November '63 along with the fairy tales in the Warren Commission documents.
Yet, even with the mob backed eradication of the accused assassin, many questions remain.
Why were Oswald's CIA files given special treatment by Angleton in 1960? What were Oswald's links to CIA and FBI after his return to U.S. in 1962? How high in CIA Langley were the ops of JM/WAVE, or were Phillips/Morales/Harvey and their Cuban exile operatives rogue? Who was pulling the strings in the Dallas Police force? Was the assassination a multi agency/military coup?
Although the sub-title states that the book covers the 'Mafia Murders of John and Robert Kennedy', RFK's killing only appears in a few pages in the Epilogue. However, that is sufficient to learn that Sirhan could not have killed Bobby, so again, an innocent is incarcerated over fifty years while Thane Eugene Cesar walked free.
Without doubt a valuable investigative history of the profound and chilling operations and spreading tentacles of organised crime in America.

[Gilles Achache · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the specific aspect of worth was Scheim disinterring the lie detector results, where all Mafia persons failed on the murder of John F Kennedy.....interesting that it works better, this polygraph works better, than some people think......& there are now three different types of lie detector. Therefore I thought the bad review of this book......which is long.....leaving that unmentioned....was odd. You wonder if you've read the same book......had he, indeed, read it? It's the main thing I feel was valuable about the book.....it seemed well researched to me, the Mafia were the main force.

I can't be bothered putting the date I read the book in, by the way, goodreads.

[Wade · Rating 1 out of 5]

I used to be interested in the John Kennedy assassination conspiracies and read quite a lot about it. However when I read Vincent Bugliosi's book Reclaiming History, I realized how foolish the conspiracies were and how childish I'd been to even wonder about them. Bugliosi proves the case against Oswald as a prosecutor would and leaves no doubt that had Oswald stood trial none of the deranged theories would have ever seen the light of day.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book disturbing and frightening. It chronicles mafia infiltration and dominance in vice, murder and the U. S. government. It contains extensive footnotes and appendix. It illustrates the society based on greed, fear, exploitation, and personal expendability.

[Allen Bolinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Older book; but, a lot of information on the penetration, by organized crime, of the American government, labor movement, media, and business. Well researched with extensive sources cited. A great read.

[Pete · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unless you have some weird obsession with mob stooge Jack Ruby, there is no reason to waste time on this book. dnf.

[Elizabeth Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really insightful, great explanations of each topic

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could had been the Mafia, or Cubans, or the CIA, or Lyndon Johnson, or the Pentagon, for whatever their many reasons in killing JFK in Dallas that fateful November morning, but maybe the actual truth will finally be revealed and fully disclosed in a few decades and we all will learn who was involved besides Oswald. Until then there's just too many unanswered questions that the Warren Commission did not bother following through with (shades of the 9/11 Commission on their terrible, lack luster investigation).

Though this book does have a solid argument that it was Mafia related. They hated both John and Robert Kennedy and were in a position to arrange the hits (same with the CIA). Oswald did not act alone and was the Patsy to what transpired.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wrote appalling in my little book of books

guess I was struck by the evidence

don't know whether or not to recommend this one, but since I read it, I must have thought it was ok or worth reading or would have noted this

[George Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

As close to the truth as we are likely to get. Meticulously researched, sourced and footnoted.