Sam Giancana
Called "a top figure in the underworld in Chicago" by McClellan Committee staff in 1959, when he refused to answer. The Church Committee identified him as the "Sam Gold" of the CIA's Castro operation and recorded his murder on June 20, 1975.
- Died
- 1975-06-20
- Aliases
- Mooney, Momo Salvatore Giancana, Sam Gold
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state.
On the record
- 1929 and 1939 — McClellan Committee staff member Pierre Salinger testified on June 9, 1959 (Part 53) to two major convictions, "for burglary and larceny in 1929 and violation of the internal revenue laws as they relate to liquor, in 1939," and said "He served a total of 6 years 11 months in penitentiaries as a result of those two convictions."
- August 1946 — An FBI report extract in the Accardo Vault file (Part 02, p. 2) names "SAM GIANCANA, with alias, 'Mooney'" among callers at Accardo's residence.
- 1957 — A Chicago FBI memorandum dictated July 22, 1959 (Vault, Anthony Accardo Part 02, p. 5) relays a source's account that "After RICCA went to prison, SAM GIANCANA moved in and took over both positions of 'the man' and 'the boss'" and that "GIANCANA in 1957 forced ACCARDO into semi-retirement and assumed the reins of the Syndicate." The account reached the FBI through two reporters from an unnamed person. It is third-hand and is not a Bureau finding.
- 9 June 1959 — Before the McClellan Committee (Part 53, pp. 18672–18673) he gave his name and an Oak Park address and declined to state his occupation: "I decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me." Staff member Salinger testified: "Mr. Giancana is a top figure in the underworld in Chicago." Staff member LaVern Duffy referred to him as Sam "Mooney" Giancana.
- 30 June 1964 — Giancana v. Johnson, 335 F.2d 366 (7th Cir. 1964), vacated an injunction he had obtained in a suit "growing out of alleged surveillance of plaintiff, his home and his recreation, by FBI agents," holding that the district court lacked jurisdiction.
- 1 June 1965 — In re Grand Jury Investigation of Sam Giancana, 352 F.2d 921 (7th Cir. 1965), affirmed the order in which the district judge said: "I adjudge the respondent, Sam Giancana, in direct and continuing contempt of this Court," committing him to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
- 1960 — The Church Committee report, S. Rep. No. 94-465 (1975), p. 88 of the PDF, states that "'Sam Gold' was Momo Salvatore Giancana, a Chicago-based gangster," brought into the CIA's operation against Castro.
- 20 June 1975 — The same report, in a footnote on that page: "Sam Giancana was murdered in his home on June 20, 1975."
The role field is left empty. The 1959 FBI memorandum’s claim, kept in the events with its source because it is third-hand, rests on this chain: an unnamed person told a reporter, who told a Chicago Tribune reporter, who told an agent. The McClellan staff description is sworn staff testimony, not a committee finding. No FBI Vault file on Giancana was found when the research looked for one, and no opened record gives his birth date.
Records
itemMcClellan Committee hearings, Part 53 (June 1959)Printed hearings of the Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field, Part 53, June 1959, including Sam Giancana's appearance on June 9, 1959 and staff testimony about him and Anthony Accardo.
itemFBI Vault file on Anthony AccardoThe FBI Vault's release of the Bureau file on Anthony Accardo, in two parts, including a 1946 informant report, a 1959 Chicago memorandum relaying a source's account of the Chicago syndicate's hierarchy, and early-1970s teletypes on its leadership.itemGiancana v. Johnson, 335 F.2d 366 (7th Cir. 1964)Seventh Circuit opinion of June 30, 1964 vacating an injunction that had restricted FBI surveillance of Sam Giancana, for want of district-court jurisdiction.itemIn re Grand Jury Investigation of Sam Giancana, 352 F.2d 921 (7th Cir. 1965)Seventh Circuit opinion of October 8, 1965 affirming the June 1965 orders that held Sam Giancana in contempt for refusing to answer grand jury questions after an order to testify.itemChurch Committee, Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders, S. Rep. No. 94-465 (1975)Interim report of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, November 20, 1975. It identifies the man called "Sam Gold" in the CIA's Castro operation as Sam Giancana and records his murder on June 20, 1975.
itemFBI Vault file on Anthony AccardoThe FBI Vault's release of the Bureau file on Anthony Accardo, in two parts, including a 1946 informant report, a 1959 Chicago memorandum relaying a source's account of the Chicago syndicate's hierarchy, and early-1970s teletypes on its leadership.itemGiancana v. Johnson, 335 F.2d 366 (7th Cir. 1964)Seventh Circuit opinion of June 30, 1964 vacating an injunction that had restricted FBI surveillance of Sam Giancana, for want of district-court jurisdiction.itemIn re Grand Jury Investigation of Sam Giancana, 352 F.2d 921 (7th Cir. 1965)Seventh Circuit opinion of October 8, 1965 affirming the June 1965 orders that held Sam Giancana in contempt for refusing to answer grand jury questions after an order to testify.itemChurch Committee, Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders, S. Rep. No. 94-465 (1975)Interim report of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, November 20, 1975. It identifies the man called "Sam Gold" in the CIA's Castro operation as Sam Giancana and records his murder on June 20, 1975.