In this exploration of the role of Chicago s Underworld in the shaping of modern America Russo relates the never-before-told story of The Outfit the secretive crime cartel that began its reign in during prohibition before becoming the real puppet master of Hollywood Las Vegas and Washington D.C. for more than 50 years. 8-page photo insert. The never-before-told story of the great Chicago crime family called The Outfit. It is a common misperception that all the true-life organized crime stories have been written. Yet perhaps the most compelling gangster tale is one that has been until now too well-hidden. This is the story of the Outfit: the secretive organized crime cartel that began its reign in prohibition-era Chicago before becoming the real puppet master of Hollywood Las Vegas and Washington D.C. The Outfit recounts the adventures and exploits of its bosses Tony Joe Batters Accardo (the real Godfather) Murray The Camel or Curly Humphreys (one of the greatest political fixers and union organizers this country has ever known) Paul The Waiter Ricca and Johnny Rosselli (the liaison between the shadowy world and the outside world). Their invisibility was their strength and what kept their leader from ever spending a single night in jail. The Outfit bosses were the epitome of style and grace moving effortlessly among national political figures and Hollywood studio heads-until their world started to crumble in the 1970s. With extensive research including recently released FBI files the Chicago Crime files of entertainer Steve Allen first-ever access to the voluminous working papers of the Kefauver Committee original interviews with the members of the Fourth Estate who pursued the Outfit for forty years and exclusive access to the journals of Humphrey s widow veteran journalist Gus Russo uncovers sixty years of corruption and influence and examines the shadow history of the United States.