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 crimes
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 Hoffas 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 Kennedys early
commitment to equal justice for leaders and laborers
alike. |
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