 The Equitable Life Assurance Society presents This Is Your FBI. This Is Your FBI. The official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Presented transcribed as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. If you're covered by Social Security, you will certainly be interested in a plan for turning your Social Security into full security. The Equitable Life Assurance Society will be glad to show you how simple that can be. Interested? Then please listen carefully in about 14 minutes to this important message from the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Tonight, the subject of our FBI file, Racket Control. It's titled, The Million Dollar Question. Tonight's case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation points up an alarming condition existing in our country. While our forces fight on foreign shores to protect our precious heritage, criminal forces within our own borders are trying to strangle it, demanding protection money from those conducting legitimate businesses. Your FBI says that protection money, like blackmail money, is unnecessary. Law enforcement agencies can and will give adequate protection, but businessmen must cooperate, must reveal the facts as they know them. Then and then only will this vicious underworld practice be wiped out for criminal sphere exposure almost as much as they fear bullets. Right here and now your FBI pledges all legitimate business enterprises with its full support in the fight against graft, corruption and exploitation. Listen tonight to an example of what we mean by this. Tonight's file opens in a large eastern city. Over the entrance to a building in the warehouse district is a sign which reads, Our trucks move anything, anywhere, anytime. A middle-aged man sits in an office on the top floor of that building. He is just greeting a visitor. Come right in, sir. Thank you. Secretary tells me you're with the FBI. Yes, that's right, sir. My name is Taylor. Here are my credentials. I see. Have a chair, Mr. Taylor. Thanks. What can I do for you? Well, sir, I'd like some information. I'd be glad to help. What is it? A hoodlum named Joe Russell was arrested this week by the police. The prosecuting attorney got permission to examine Russell's bank records. Now, they showed that your trucking company and quite a few others paid Russell a sum of money every month. The FBI was called in when it developed that most of the companies used their trucks interstate. I'm afraid I don't follow you. A simple arithmetic showed the amount each trucking company paid Russell was equal to $25 a month for every truck. What does that prove? We've got a case of interference with interstate shipments against Russell. It's an open secret that all of you pay him that money for protection. The United States attorney needs more, however, than an open secret for evidence. He wants proof, and that's why I'm here. How can I help him? By giving me a signed statement that Russell extorts the money from you and then by going to court to substantiate your statement with testimony? Mr. Taylor, I'm afraid I can't do that. But we know that you're giving Russell that money. We pay him because he helps us in our business. Oh, and how? We used to have accidents before we signed with him. Since then, we haven't had a single one. All right, sir. Will you put that much into a statement? No, and I won't testify. Look, what do you want from me? I'm not a criminal. And as far as Russell goes, he's nothing. Go catch a big fish. Arrest Alex Butler. He steals more than 20 Joe Russells. Can you help us prove that? No, but there must be people who can. Why don't you find them and stop bothering the small fry? Mr. Ramsey, can I have a few more minutes of your time? What for? I'd like to tell you a story, sir. All right. About 25 years ago, a young man named Bill Coleman joined the police force here. A few nights later, he was walking his beat when he came to a small candy store or what had been a candy store. Now, the counter was smashed, every window broken, and the owner was crumbled and conscious against a wall. Bit by bit, Officer Coleman got the story. Every shop on that street was paying a dollar a week to a young hoodlum. The officer got a description of a petty larceny thief named Curly, whose hangout was a pool room just a few blocks away. Nice shot, Colonel. Eh, eh, bank this six-ball. Well, that's game, Jack. Pay me. Okay. Yeah. I'll buy a return, huh? You got any more, Doe? No. Hang up your cue. Wait a minute. I'll, uh, put up some info. On what? The street you can get for yourself, really, is he? 20 stores on it. They're paying five a week now. It's 100 smackers. I'll put them up. You'll put up 10 bucks cash, huh? What are the stores? What street? Curly. I'm no dope. You say it's a deal, and I'll tell you. It's a deal. They're on Broadway between spring and May. Pete Harper's got that block. He was picked up last night. Word is he'll get six months. By then, you could have the block organized so good and never get a pack. Well, you'll buy it. I'll buy it. Here's a cue ball. You'll break. Cop just come in. Yeah, I see him. Hello. Hi. Your name, Curly? Uh-huh. I want to talk to you. Go ahead. You beat up a candy store owner over on Wilson Street last night. I wasn't near Wilson Street last night. I went to the movies with this guy here. Oh, what'd you see? Uh... The big parade. Yeah, the big parade. I hear you collect from every store on Wilson Street. Collect what? Protection. The candy store didn't pay you this week, so you went in and beat up the owner. How could I? I was at the movies. Can you prove that? Can you prove I beat the guy up? I might. The victim is at Memorial Hospital. I'm going over there now. If he talks, I'll be back. Good afternoon, sir. Hello, officer. Well, how do you feel? Yeah. You got a pretty bad beating. The doctor says I'll be all right. What happened last night? Who did this to you? I don't know. Now, look, sir, I'm here to help you. Then do me a favor. Forget the whole thing. Why? I don't want any more beatings. But you don't have to pay protection. Officer, you're a young man. You don't understand these things. I didn't pay. That was a mistake. I don't make another one. You know a man called Curly. Who? You know who I mean. Yes. He's the one who beat you up for not paying. I didn't say that. Now, look, officer, I don't make trouble for you. Don't make trouble for me. Please leave me alone. Well, Mr. Ramsey, that started Curly's career. His one protection block became two blocks then three, then the entire neighborhood. Curly was finally arrested. Officer Coleman picked him up for assault and battery, and Curly was sentenced to six months. At the time he got out, someone else had taken over his protection racket, but Curly didn't care. He had enough money by now to set himself up in a new business. He became a bootleger. He was only doing fairly well with his whiskey trade till one night at a dance hall. Curly! How are you, Ruthie? Oh, I didn't see you come in. Oh, I just got here. It's a new band tonight. They sound good, huh? They're okay. Well, are we gonna dance? I'm supposed to meet a guy here. Oh, come on. You'll find him. Well... Come on. You've been busy or something? Why? Well, you haven't been around. I've been working. Oh, you got a new car? Yeah. Marmon Roadster. No kidding. Oh, I'm sorry. That's okay. I guess I'm a little too tricky for you. I'll stay with the straight stuff. Curly. Oh, hi. Come on. This is the guy I'm supposed to see. You've been here long? No. You know Ruthie, don't you? Yeah, sure. Hi. Get lost a minute, honey. I want to talk to this guy. Oh, but, Curly... I'll be back. Come on, Jack. What'd you want to see me about? The farmer just got knocked over. So, I'll get my stuff from somebody else. Anyway, come. I want to sell you some information. Like what? The customer the farmer had. Big one. You can move in if you want to pass. What's this information worth? Ten percent. Okay, let's hear it. It's the West Side Club. We got 3,000 members. The farmer was moving 20, 30 cases a day into the place. That much? Sure. The manager's got a racket on the side. Sells a member's booze to take home. What's the manager's name? Morgan. Tomorrow every guy in town will be trying to make the connection. You, uh, buy it, huh? I buy it. Is this Morgan at the club now? Yeah. Look, uh, you go dance with Ruthie, huh? I'm going to go see him. Curly went to see Mr. Morgan, but so did another bootlegger. Curly made the deal to supply the club's whiskey, but his competitor never stopped trying to steal the business away. Never stopped, that is, till Curly murdered him. Officer Coleman went to work on this case. Slowly, surely he collected evidence. Finally, he needed only one more element. Proof that Curly had the whiskey concession at the West Side Club. Sit down, sit down. Have a seat, Sergeant. Thank you, Mr. Morgan. What can I do for you? Well, I'd like some information. I understand this club gets its whiskey from Curly. Whiskey? Yes, Mr. Morgan. We don't buy any whiskey. That's against the law. Now I'm not a revenue agent. I'm here investigating a murder. Everything I've learned so far adds up to the fact that Curly committed a crime. The motive has to be the whiskey concession here. If I get a statement from you, I think we can get a conviction. No, I'm sorry, Sergeant. I don't know anything about whiskey being sold around this club. I just came in through the dining room. How come everybody's drinking? Well, after all, this is a club. If a member keeps a few bottles in his locker, we really can't stop him, can we? Mr. Morgan, you're not being very cooperative. Well, I'm telling you all I know. Yes, I'm sure you are. Oh, are you leaving? Yep. Well, drop in again any time. You're always welcome. There was another opportunity to stop Curly's progress, Mr. Ramsey, and once again it failed because a man who could have indicted him refused to help. Well, in a few years, Curly controlled the bootleg whiskey business here, and he should have been satisfied, I guess, when he wasn't. He respected Jack Moody, and Jack told him the thing wouldn't last, and that worried Curly. Then one night he took Ruth Dawson to the old arena to see the six-day bicycle races. Curly, why are they riding so slow? The judge weighed the red flag. That means nobody can steal a lap. What's with that guy singing? He's a song-clugger. They're always at these things. I can stand a hot dog. Well, I'll grab the guy when he comes around. Uh, 50 for a sprint. 50 dollars for a sprint, offered by the gentleman in box 83. That's Torchy Peden. Come on, Torchy! He'll win it. Now, McNamara, he can still ride. Hang on. There you see it. I told you. Hey, Curly. Oh, come on in. Sit down. Hi, Ruth. Hi. Sit here. Where you going, honey? That hot dog. I'm hungry. Okay. Hey, Jackie, you should have been here before. I put a 50 for a sprint, and I got a cheer like I was Jack Dempsey. Yeah, look, kid, I got a hot deal for you. Now, what is it? Ten percent? Okay. I know where you can buy a snatch. Real good. The guy's been fingered for a month. You can buy the schedule he lives by, the hideout, the muscle. Everything but 10 Gs. I got a cap right now. Not for this, Martin. You can get as much ransom as you want to ask for. Who is it? Old man Adams. Hey, yeah. How about it? Well, it sounds okay, but I never fooled around with that kind of deal. Look, booze ain't gonna last forever, you know? But they'll always be rich guys like Adams. You got an organization working at it. You can do one a month. Let's say you're 100 Gs of crack. That ain't bad. Yeah, I know, Jack. Look, at Curly, we've been friends for a long time, right? That's why I brought you the deal first. But I can't stall the guys who owned this mark too long. Adams is going on a trip next week. The snatch has to be made by tomorrow night. Well, that doesn't leave much time. It's all set up. The only thing you've got to do is just nod your head. I'll be okay. Look at that, George. Curly, I've got to know right now. You'll buy it? I'll buy it. Come on! In just a moment, we will bring you the conclusion of tonight's case, which shows how the men of your FBI do their job of promoting national security. Now I want to talk about another kind of security. I want to talk about turning social security into full security. And just to prove how easy it is to do that, I've asked Mr. and Mrs. James Drummond to help me. Mr. and Mrs. Drummond. Good evening, Mr. Cating. Good evening. Mr. Drummond, before the show, I gave you a copy of the fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers put out by the Equitable Society. Will you tell our audience what you and Mrs. Drummond have learned in that short time with the aid of the fact-finding chart? Glad to, Mr. Cating. I've been wondering for years how margin the boys would get along if something happened to me. I knew the money from my social security simply wouldn't stretch far enough to let them live decently. That's true, Mr. Cating. We never knew before just how much money it would take. All we knew was that $110 a month doesn't go far these days, and that's what we get from social security. Mr. Drummond, did the fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers help? Oh, you bet. For the first time, I knew exactly how much money Marge and little Joe and Jimmy need to get along without me. Show Mr. Cating how we worked without Jim. See, here's the answer we got from the fact-finding chart. I knew you'd get the answer. The fact-finding chart covers everything. How much does the chart cost, Mr. Cating? I'd like to tell my friends. Not a cent. It's free. No obligations. Representatives of the Equitable Society are glad to give a copy to any man or woman who is interested. This chart guides you every step of the way with easy-to-understand pictures. The answer is trustworthy and accurate, and you learn exactly how much extra income you need to turn your social security into full security. Your equitable man will be glad to show you how to accomplish that. Remember, you've already got a big head start with your social security and whatever insurance you may now have. Only a small amount of additional insurance may be all it's needed to give full security. So why not get in touch with your Equitable Society representative soon? Ask him for your free copy of Equitable's fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. That's E-Q-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. And now back to the FBI file. The Million Dollar Question. After the influx of kidnappings in the late 20s and early 30s, the federal kidnapping statute was passed by Congress. This gave your FBI jurisdiction in those cases where an interstate element was present. Within a few years, kidnappings ceased to be a major law enforcement problem. Noting your FBI's success in that and other fields of crime over which it has jurisdiction, some people have raised their voices to demand a national police force, a master overall law enforcement agency whose authority would extend to every corner of the nation. Your FBI is against any such proposal. America needs no national police force. The federal government can never properly substitute itself for local self-rule. The experience of other people in foreign lands who suddenly found themselves living in a totalitarian state discloses that the trend always started with people in local communities being unable or unwilling to take care of local situations. The experience of your FBI has been that our present setup of local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies works best. Works best for police officials and for you, the people. Tonight's FBI file continues in the warehouse office where Agent Taylor sits with Mr. Ramsey. Mr. Taylor, I don't see what the story of this man curly has to do with me. You'll let me finish it soon, I think you'll see. Go ahead. Well, Curley maneuvered that kidnapping and got $100,000 ransom. Bill Coleman heard a rumor and started to investigate. He questioned Curley and got a complete denial. Coleman's next stop was the victim, but he had no comment to make. As far as he was concerned, the matter was closed. So you see, once again, a man who could have stopped Curley refused to and by refusing allowed him to continue his career. A short time later, a prohibition was repealed. That was December of 1933. Curley took it easy for a while. Then in May of the following year, he took Ruth and Jack to Louisville to see the Kentucky dirt. I'll never be able to read a racing form. I told you what to do, but undiscovery. I already did. I just wanted to know why. The cashier won't ask you when you give him the ticket. The horses are reaching again. Where's Jack with those jewels? He'll be here. Curley, this matter harries a girl horse, isn't it? Mm-hmm. But don't get any ideas. Phillies don't win this race. Oh. Here we are, kids. Oh, thanks, Jack. Thanks, pal. Mm. That tastes good. It's my first time. Uh, Curley, down. I want to talk to you about something. No, I don't tell me you're gonna top me on Cavalcade. No, no, no. It's business. Look, the race is gonna start, man. Look, it's a big deal. Okay, okay. What is it? Got to nod your head first, kid. Ten percent. Okay. What's the deal? What I've been thinking. Look, the bookies back home are killing each other off. So? Well, the guy stepped in, put out the fire. He couldn't make a glove. You know, a guy like you. Make yourself like the George Landis of bookmakers. They pay you a piece of the action. You protect everybody's territory for them. Mm-hmm. Even if they don't like it, who are they gonna run to? Where is my setup? Yeah, it's not bad. You, uh, buy it? I buy it. And now... Now, Mr. Ramsey, Curley had something he could use his organizational talents on. And he did. Before anybody realized what was happening, he was collecting from every book in town. He was also moving into legitimate businesses. He bought a company that made jukeboxes, then he took over an outfit that distributed cigarette-vending machines then an automobile agency. They were all profitable because Curley had found a new formula. Use prohibition-strong-arm methods in legitimate business, and it paid off. Nobody could arrest him because he wasn't the legal owner of any of the outfits. Each had its own frontman. Curley merely pulled the strings and collected the profits. He operated from a suite of offices in a downtown skyscraper. One day, Jack Moody came to see him. Good morning, Mayor. Huh? You want to be mayor? That makes sense, would you? I was just over the second ward. Norton's having trouble. Now what kind? The primary's coming up next month. There's gonna be an opposition ticket. Now, Will is putting up a slate of his own. Will might give Norton more than just trouble. He knows it. And we can make a deal. Like what? Well, Norton figures with $20,000. He can keep control. In return, he'll give you three places on the ticket. You name the man, he'll run them. That sounds fair enough. Look, I was kidding about the mayor's job, but you could be a councilman for sure. No, no, no, no, no. I stay out of the picture. Whatever you say. I see Norton now telling me he's got his money. Okay. I'll call you tonight. Wait a minute. Why? I just happen to think he'll give us three men for 20 Gs. Maybe Will or Will too. What? Give them both 20. And we gotta want her either way. Well, that's how it started, Mr. Ramsey. Curly got control of the second ward in that primary five years ago. The next year he picked up three more districts and his machine will probably carry every office in next week's selection. I don't know anybody named Curly in local politics. You wouldn't serve for a couple of reasons. In the first place, he still stays out of the picture. Come in. Hello, I'm looking for... I'm here, Bill. Oh. Mr. Ramsey, this is Chief of Police Coleman. How do you do? Hello. This is the same Bill Coleman who was the officer in my story. Oh. How'd you make out, Bill? Well, Butler said if I make that arrest, he'll have my job. Mr. Ramsey, he's talking about Alex Butler. You see, Curly is Alex Butler. The man you've been telling me about? That's right, sir. A lot of people had a chance to stop Alex Butler while he was working his way up from being a cheap hoodlum to the man who runs this entire city. Nobody did, though. Well, there's nothing I can do about Alex Butler. No, but I came up here to question you about a petty last-knee chiseler named Joe Russell. 25 years ago, Curly was where Russell is now. But you've got a chance to stop Joe Russell before he becomes another Butler. Well, so what's your answer? I'll testify. Joe Russell was convicted in federal court of violating the atta racketeering statutes and sentenced to a federal prison. In addition to being the case history of a hoodlum, tonight's case from the files of your FBI told the story of how some political machines are born. It is unfortunate that some communities in every part of the nation find themselves ruled by such machines. However, that situation can be remedied. Throughout most of the country, this coming week we'll see an election being held. You, as a citizen, have a responsibility and a duty to vote in that election. In local contests, the smaller the number of votes cast, the fewer are needed to control the result. No political machine in our history has gone through the years without defeat. And they invariably met that defeat when the voters of a community turned out en masse at the ballot boxes. If there is an election in your community this coming week, do your duty as an American. Study the candidates and the issues. Then vote. Now, just two things to remember about the Equitable's fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. First, it shows you exactly what monthly income your family would require if the breadwinner should die. Second, this pictorial chart doesn't cost you one cent. Ask your Equitable Society representative for a free copy. If you cannot locate an Equitable agent, send a postcard, care of this station, to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Next week, we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Its subject, Allotment Swindle. Its title, The Traveling Bride. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Life Assurance Society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, all names used are fictitious. And any similarity thereof to the names of places or persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. The author was Jerry D. Lewis. Your narrator was William Woodson, and Special Agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harris. Others in the cast were Anthony Barrett, Herb Butterfield, Walter Catlett, Bill Conrad, Betty Lugerson, Wally Mayer, John Sheehan, and Charlie Williams. This is your FBI is a Jerry Divine production. This is Larry Keating speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. And inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time, when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling transcribe story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Traveling Bride on This Is Your FBI. Stay tuned for the adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. There's fun for the whole family when Ozzie and Harriet come your way next. This program came to you from Hollywood.