The Snatch Racket: The Kidnapping Epidemic That Terrorized 1930s America by Caro

Description: The Snatch Racket by Carolyn Cox The Snatch Racket will take the reader behind the scenes of kidnapping crimes that terrified the American public in the 1930s. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description The Snatch Racket uncovers the massive wave of kidnapping that shook the nations communities. An estimated three thousand Americans were kidnapped for ransom in the year 1931. They were early victims of a kidnapping wave that grew to be an epidemic in the twilight days of Prohibition as urban gangs looked for new revenue streams to replace the once lucrative business of bootlegging. Wealthy families and celebrities began purchasing kidnap insurance, hiring armed chauffeurs and bodyguards, and carrying loaded handguns. Some sent their children to school or summer camp in Europe to get them out of harms way. Guards kept kidnap watch over both President Hoover and President Roosevelts grandchildren. The "Kidnapped," as the racketeers referred to it, reached its peak in 1933 and 1934: "Recent Kidnappings in America" was a regular feature in the New York Times, and Time magazine included kidnappings along with its weekly list of notable births, deaths, and other milestones. The Snatch Racket is the frightening story of this crime epidemic and the three-year War against Kidnappers waged by President Franklin D. Roosevelts administration to eradicate it. At the heart of the narrative are some of the most iconic names of the twentieth century: Rockefeller, Ford, Lindbergh, Roosevelt, Hoover, Capone, Schwarzkopf, and Babe Ruth. All were caught up in some way in the kidnap frenzy - as victims and intended victims, as law enforcement officials and political leaders, or as individuals attempting to alleviate suffering or to benefit personally somehow from the scourge that took such a toll on the country. The War against Kidnappers also revolutionised and modernized law enforcement in the United States, dramatically expanding the powers of the federal government in the fight against not only kidnapping but many new types of interstate crime. It would make J. Edgar Hoover the face of law enforcement in America, a role he would play for another three decades. Not least, the crime of kidnapping would be recognised as a devastating form of domestic terrorism against which the public would come to expect special protection from government, making the War against Kidnappers the first of the declared wars on terrorism that continue today. AUTHOR: Carolyn Cox is a retired partner of the law firm of WilmerHale, Washington DC; a former law clerk to Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr., U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama; and former adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and American University Law School. Author Biography Carolyn Cox is a retired partner of the law firm WilmerHale in Washington, DC, and a former adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and American University Law School. Table of Contents List of Illustrations Prologue Part 1. The Snatch Racket 1. The Good Samaritans 2. "This . . . Is Not Manchuria or China or Russia" Part 2. The Crime of the Century 3. The Snatch of the Eaglet 4. The Colonels Mission 5. Lifting the Veil 6. "Ay, Doctor" 7. Competing Investigations Part 3. To War against Kidnappers 8. Call NAtional 8-7117 9. Epidemic 10. The Road to Paradise 11. The Symbol of the Crusade Part 4. At War 12. The All-American Boy 13. Framing Gods Bagman 14. "Like a Damned Albatross around My Neck" 15. Fifty-Three Crates of Furniture Part 5. Turning the Tide 16. "Johnny, Weve Got to Solve That Lindbergh Case" 17. Dragnet 18. Verdict 19. Ocklawaha and Beyond Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index Review "Crisp, zesty and free of the clichés of most true-crime writing, Ms. Coxs book interweaves her case narratives with the inside story of how Hoover exploited the crisis to launch a crusade against organized crime, even coining the term G-men to glamorize his agents."—Edward Kosner, Wall Street Journal"[Coxs] accounts of the kidnappings make for good true-crime readings."—Harry Levins, St. Louis Post-Dispatch"At a time when policing is under fire, and the problematic techniques they use with sometimes innocent subjects as well as the treatment of outsiders (Hauptman was an illegal German immigrant) are very much in the news, Cox has found a subject that can capture a wide audience both in its style and its implications about the justice system. She raises a host of questions about this era, concerning justice denied and justice misapplied in regard to the FBI, and about local policing. She also shows how the desire for aggrandizement and power plays a significant part in our criminal justice history. She does this subtly and behind the scenes of her stories. And she makes a good case for our historical shortcomings in pursuing and convicting criminals."—Paula S. Fass, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books"Carolyn Cox throws a fascinating new light on a horrifying crime wave that shook America in the 1930s. While the shocking Lindbergh case has understandably gone down in history, it was just one of a whole series of horrible kidnappings that have until now passed into obscurity. In telling this extraordinary story, Cox combines meticulous scholarly research with the thriller writers fast pace and eye for colorful detail. The result is a terrific read."—Sandra Hempel, author of The Atlas of Disease and The Inheritors Powder"Every crisis creates opportunity for people smart enough to see it and agile enough to grasp it. In this finely wrought narrative Carolyn Cox shows us how J. Edgar Hoover and his nascent Bureau of Investigation launched a war against kidnapping that pit them against both rival bureaucrats and a parade of colorful gangsters from Machine Gun Kelly to Alvin Karpis to Ma Barker and the rest. The struggle captured public imagination at the time and makes for a great read. This is an important story well told."—Kenneth D. Ackerman, author of Young J. Edgar: Hoover and the Red Scare, 1919–1920"Simply fascinating. A richly detailed, behind-the-scenes autopsy of how the FBI and rival law enforcement agencies demolished the Barker-Karpis gang and other criminals who perpetrated the shocking wave of kidnappings (including the tragic abduction of the Lindbergh baby) that so outraged America in the early 1930s. Best of all, author Carolyn Cox reveals how the war between the G-men and gangsters changed the course of federal criminal law, the power of J. Edgar Hoover, and how the public viewed the Public Enemies–era gangsters like Machine Gun Kelly, Alvin Creepy Karpis, and John Dillinger."—Paul Maccabee, author of John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption Review Quote "Simply fascinating. A richly detailed, behind-the-scenes autopsy of how the FBI and rival law enforcement agencies demolished the Barker-Karpis gang and other criminals who perpetrated the shocking wave of kidnappings (including the tragic abduction of the Lindbergh baby) that so outraged America in the early 1930s. Best of all, author Carolyn Cox reveals how the war between the G-men and gangsters changed the course of federal criminal law, the power of J. Edgar Hoover, and how the public viewed the Public Enemies-era gangsters like Machine Gun Kelly, Alvin Creepy Karpis, and John Dillinger."--Paul Maccabee, author of John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks Tour of Crime and Corruption Details ISBN1640122036 Author Carolyn Cox Short Title The Snatch Racket Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 1640122036 ISBN-13 9781640122031 Format Hardcover Subtitle The Kidnapping Epidemic That Terrorized 1930s America Publisher Potomac Books Inc Imprint Potomac Books Inc Place of Publication Dulles Country of Publication United States UK Release Date 2021-05-15 AU Release Date 2021-05-15 NZ Release Date 2021-05-15 DEWEY 364.154097309043 Pages 376 Publication Date 2021-03-01 Illustrations 22 photographs, 1 illustration, index Audience General US Release Date 2021-03-01 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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