Kemper waved a waiter off. “Your hatred’s showing, Ward.”
“I don’t hate Mr. Hoover. You can’t hate someone who runs so true to form.”
“But Bobby–”
Littell whispered. “You know what I risked for him. And you know what I got back. And what I can’t abide is that the Kennedys pretend to be better than that.”
Kemper said, “You’ve got the books.” He shot his cuffs and displayed a solid gold Rolex.
Littell pointed to the White House. “Yes, I do. And they’re booby-trapped a dozen different ways. I filed instruction contingency briefs with a dozen different lawyers when I was drunk, and even I can’t remember them all.”
Kemper folded his hands. “With depositions on my Kennedy incursion to go to the Justice Department in the event of your death or prolonged disappearance?”
“No. With depositions on your incursion and depositions on astronomically lucrative Joseph P. Kennedy Mob-linked fmancial malfeasance to go to municipal PD gangster squads nationwide, and every Republican member of the House and the Senate.”
Kemper said, “Bravo.”
Littell said, “Thank you.”
A waiter placed a phone on their table. Kemper placed a folder next to it.
“Are you broke, Ward?”
“Almost.”
“You haven’t expressed a word of rancor regarding my recent behavior.”
“It wouldn’t do any good.”
“How do you currently feel about organized crime?”
“My current feelings are relatively charitable.”
Kemper tapped the folder. “That’s a pilfered INS file. And you’re the best deportation-writ lawyer on God’s green earth.”
Littell’s shirt cuffs were soiled and frayed. Kemper wore solid gold cufflinks.
“Ten thousand dollars to start, Ward. I’m certain I can get it for you.”
“For doing what? For releasing the books to you?”
“Forget the books. All I ask is that you don’t release them to anyone else.”
“Kemper, what are you talk–?”
“Your client will be Carlos Marcello. And it’s Bobby Kennedy who wants to deport him.”
The phone rang. Littell dropped his coffee cup.
Kemper said, “That’s Carlos. Be obsequious, Ward. He’ll expect a certain amount of fawning.”
DOCUMENT INSERT: 4/2/61. VerbatIm FBI telephone call transcript: “TRANSCRIBED AT THE DIRECTOR’S REQUEST”/”DIRECTOR’S EYES ONLY.” Speaking: Director J. Edgar Hoover, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
RFK: It’s Bob Kennedy, Mr. Hoover. I was hoping I could have a few minutes of your time.
JEH: Certainly.
RFK: There were a few matters of protocol I wanted to discuss.
JEH: Yes.
RFK: Communications, to begin with. I sent you a directive requesting carbons of all summary reports submitted by your Top Hoodlum Program squads. That directive was dated February 17th. It’s now the 2nd of April, and I’ve yet to see a single report.
JEH: These directives take time to Implement.
RFK: Six weeks seems like ample time to me.
JEH: You perceive an undue delay. I do not.
RFK: Will you expedite the implementation of that directive?
JEH: Certainly. Will you refresh my memory as to why you issued It?
RFK: I want to assess every scrap of anti-Mob intelligence the Bureau acquires and share it where needed with the various regional grand juries that I hope to impanel.
JEH: You may be acting injudiciously. Leaking information that could only have originated from THP sources might jeopardize THP informants and electronic survefflance placements.
RFK: All such information will be evaluated from a security standpoint.
JEH: That function should not be trusted to non-FBI personnel.
RFK: I adamantly disagree. You’re going to have to share your information, Mr. Hoover. The simple cultivation of intelligence will not bring Organized Crime to its knees.
JEH: The Top Hoodlum Program mandate does not provide for information-sharing to expedite grand jury indictments.
RFK: Then we’re going to have to revise it.
JEH: I would consider that a rash and heedless act.
RFK: Consider it what you like, and consider it done. Consider the Top Hoodlum Program mandate superseded by my direct order.
JEH: May I remind you of this simple fact: you cannot prosecute the Mafia and win.
RFK: May I remind you that for many years you denied that the Mafia existed. May I remind you that the FBI is but one cog in the overall wheel of the Justice Department. May I remind you that the FBI does not dictate Justice Department policy. May I remind you that the President and I consider 99% of the left-wing groups that the FBI routinely monitors to be harmless if not outright moribund, and laughably inoffensive when compared to Organized Crime.