He Denied The Existence Of Organized Crime
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Prior to World War II, it appeared that the bureau would start making the mob accountable for its crimes. Then Hoover did a 360 and didn’t take any action. In the 1950s, the Kefauver Committee determined there was “a nationwide crime syndicate known as the Mafia” after Hoover tried to obstruct their investigation.
Hoover even disagreed after his own agents reported that the mafia was real. Hoover called the FBI report about the mob “baloney,” Hoover eventually conceded to do something about organized crime in the 1960s after he was directed by Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Hoover likely denied the mafia was real for this reason…
