Description

Sam Giancana: Crime, CIA, and Kennedy Connections

Timeline of Main Events (Based on “Sam Giancana FBI, CIA and Congressional Investigation Files”):

1920s: Sam Giancana is believed to have worked for Al Capone in Chicago.
Early Career: Giancana is arrested approximately 70 times.
Prison Sentences:Served five years in prison for burglary.
Served four years in prison for operating an illegal still.
1957: Sam Giancana rises to become the leader of the Chicago organized crime syndicate.
1960: Giancana allegedly contributes to John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign.
Early 1960s (Implied): Giancana becomes involved in alleged CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. This involvement brings him under increased scrutiny from federal agencies.
Early 1960s (Implied): Giancana expresses hostility toward the Kennedys due to their administration’s war against organized crime.
Mid-1960s (Implied): The JFK Assassination Records Review Board later shows interest in Giancana’s files due to his hostility towards the Kennedys and alleged connections to President Kennedy through Frank Sinatra and Judith Campbell Exner, as well as rumors of links to Joseph P. Kennedy’s illicit liquor trade.
1965: Giancana is sent to jail for contempt of a federal grand jury.
Post-1965: After his release from prison, Giancana leaves the United States.
1966: Giancana’s tenure as the reputed syndicate boss in Chicago ends.
1966 – 1974: Giancana resides in Mexico for eight years.
1974: Giancana is deported back to Chicago.
1975: The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee (Church Committee) schedules Giancana to testify about his alleged involvement in the CIA plot to assassinate Fidel Castro.
June 19, 1975 (Implied): Shortly before his scheduled testimony before the Church Committee, Sam Giancana is murdered at his home in Oak Park, Illinois, suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Cast of Characters:

Sam Giancana: Reputed boss of the Chicago organized crime syndicate from 1957 to 1966. He began his criminal career working for Al Capone in the 1920s and had numerous arrests and two prison sentences for burglary and operating an illegal still. He is alleged to have been involved in CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro and was murdered before he could testify about this to the Church Committee. He also reportedly had connections to President John F. Kennedy through Frank Sinatra and Judith Campbell Exner and allegedly contributed to Kennedy’s 1960 campaign. He was known to be hostile towards the Kennedys due to their crackdown on organized crime.
Al Capone: A notorious American gangster and boss of the Chicago Outfit during the Prohibition era. Sam Giancana is believed to have worked for him in the 1920s, marking the beginning of Giancana’s involvement in organized crime.
John F. Kennedy: The 35th President of the United States. Giancana allegedly contributed to his 1960 presidential campaign and had indirect connections through associates like Frank Sinatra and Judith Campbell Exner. The Kennedy administration also waged a war against organized crime, leading to Giancana’s reported hostility towards the Kennedys.
Joseph P. Kennedy: Father of John F. Kennedy. There were rumors of his involvement in an illicit liquor trade, potentially linking him to Sam Giancana.
Frank Sinatra: A famous American singer and actor who had associations with both President John F. Kennedy and Sam Giancana. These shared connections brought Giancana to the attention of federal agencies.
Judith Campbell Exner: A woman who reportedly had relationships with both President John F. Kennedy and Sam Giancana. This connection was another reason for federal interest in Giancana.
Fidel Castro: The former communist leader of Cuba. Sam Giancana was allegedly involved in CIA plots to assassinate him.
Church Committee (U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee): A Senate committee that scheduled Sam Giancana to testify regarding his alleged involvement in CIA assassination plots against Fidel Castro. Giancana was murdered shortly before his scheduled testimony.
JFK Assassination Records Review Board: A board that was interested in reviewing Sam Giancana’s FBI and CIA files due to his expressed hostility towards the Kennedys and his various connections to President Kennedy and his family.

Sam Giancana FBI, CIA and Congressional Investigation Files

4,235 pages of FBI, CIA and Congressional files covering Sam Giancana. Much of the material was not declassified until November 2017.

Reputed syndicate boss in Chicago from 1957 to 1966, Giancana is believed to have worked for Al Capone in the 1920’s. He was arrested approximately 70 times and twice sentenced to prison, for burglary, five years, and operating an illegal still, four years. Sam Giancana rose within the Chicago organized crime syndicate until he became syndicate leader in 1957. In 1965 he was sent to jail for contempt of a federal grand jury. After release he left the country. In 1974, after an eight-year stint in Mexico, Giancana was deported back to Chicago

The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee scheduled Giancana to testify about his alleged involvement in a CIA plot to assassinate Fidel Castro. Giancana was murdered shortly before he was scheduled to testify before the Church Committee. Giancana died from gunshot wounds, one bullet in the back of his head, five into his mouth, received at his Oak Park, Illinois home.

The files cover his various criminal activities and criminal associates. Special attention is given to Giancana’s involvement in the CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. THE JFK Assassination Records Review Board was interested in reviewing his files because Giancana expressed hostility toward the Kennedys because of the Kennedys’ war against organized crime. Giancana came under the radar of the Agencies because he had associates in common with President Kennedy, notably Frank Sinatra and Judith Campbell Exner; Giancana allegedly contributed to Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign; and was rumored to be linked to an alleged Joseph P. Kennedy illicit liquor trade.