Charles Siragusa, also known as "Charlie Cigars", was a lifelong special investigator, undercover operative, spymaster, and federal agent for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a precursor to the modern Drug Enforcement Administration.[1] During World War II, he worked in North Africa for the Office of Strategic Services. He is perhaps best known today for his 30-year pursuit of the Italian-American gangster Lucky Luciano, but also pursued other criminal personalities in his career; escaped Nazis in South America, deviant Italian Catholic monks, Soviet Communist cocaine smuggling networks, and many others.[1] In 1973, he played the role of himself in the film "Lucky Luciano."[2] He is also remembered today as a facilitator and observer of the MKUltra experiments, managing the New York safehouses, eventually testifying before the United States Congress against members of his own agency and members of the Central Intelligence Agency.[3][4]
Charles Siragusa | |
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| Born | 28 October 1913 New York City, US |
| Died | 15 April 1982 (aged 68) John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Buried | Saint Mary's Cemetery
Buffalo Grove, Lake County, Illinois |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | |
| Rank | |
| Battles / wars | |
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| Other work | Appeared as self in "Lucky Luciano" movie |
Early life
editSiragusa was a second-generation American born in 1913 to Italian parents Giovanni and Rosa Siragusa.[5] One of Siragusa's uncles was killed for refusing to pay a kickback on his wages.[1][6]
Federal agent
editIn 1939, Siragusa joined the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) as a special agent. He was then assigned to the office of Garland H. Williams, who managed the FBN District office of New York
In 1944, Siragusa attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy while on assignment for James Angleton in the Office of Strategic Services.[3] He was assigned to North Africa for the OSS.
In 1950, Siragusa was sent back to Europe to take over the hunt for Lucky Luciano from George Hunter White and Garland H. Williams.[7][8] The hunt for Luciano would dominate the next decade of his life.
Luciano also had Siragusa on his mind.[4] On one particular occasion, Luciano was asked by a group of reporters what he would like for Christmas. His response was "Siragusa in a ton of cement!" [4]
In the summer of that year, Siragusa traveled to Turkey to act as a liaison to Turkish police forces, where he helped establish many federal programs there.[9]
In 1951, Siragusa became the FBN Supervisory Agent (equivalent to an SAC) of an office in the United States Embassy in Rome that would be called "District 17," which covered the areas of Europe and the Middle East.[10][3][11] Out of this office, Siragusa traveled to France, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and other locations to investigate narcotics.
In 1958, Siragusa was reassigned to Washington, and on behalf of Anslinger resumed contact with James Angleton and Counterintelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency, working on a project in New York City for Angleton in partnership with Dr. Ray Treichler.[3]
In 1960, Siragusa was involved in an attempt to rescue CIA personnel imprisoned in Cuba after breaking into the Chinese Communist News Agency there.[3]
In 1962, Siragusa became the Assistant Commissioner of the FBN.[3]
When Luciano died of heart failure, Siragusa resigned from the FBN.
He joined the Illinois Legislative Investigating Commission, an organization established to investigate mob activity in Chicago and other cities in Illinois.[12]
Siragusa claimed that the CIA approached him to coordinate domestic assassinations to be performed by his connections in the Italian Mafia, and he rejected them.[13]
Cases
editCases that Charles Siragusa pursued as a federal agent include;
MKUltra and Midnight Climax
editControversially, Siragusa was also involved in the US government's experiments in finding a truth drug and mind control, to include MKUltra and Operation Midnight Climax.[16][17] Operatives running the experiments claimed that Siragusa was only a manager during this time, and had little knowledge of what the experiments actually involved.[16][17][18][19][20] Siragusa later testified before Congress, however, that Ray Treichler "wanted me to deny knowing about the safehouse... He didn't want me to admit that he was the guy. . . . I said there was no way I could do that."[4][21]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Howard, Toni (1957-04-27). Dope is His Business. Internet Archive (The Saturday Evening Post 1957-04-27: Vol 229 Iss 43 ed.). Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society.
- ^ "Charles Siragusa | Additional Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ a b c d e f Gaeton, Gonzales (1978). "Charles Siragusa Interview" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d Marks, John (1978). "MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE" (PDF).
- ^ "'Charlie Cigar' Siragusa dead at 68 - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ ThamesTv (2018-09-05). The Mafia | Interview with a Narcotics officer | Crime inc | 1984. Retrieved 2024-07-13 – via YouTube.
- ^ Newark, Tim. "Lucky Luciano: Mafia Murderer and Secret Agent" (PDF).
- ^ Upi (1982-04-19). "Charles Siragusa, Ex-Agent; Took Action Against Luciano". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Pembleton, Matthew R. (2016). "Imagining a Global Sovereignty: U.S. Counternarcotic Operations in Istanbul during the Early Cold War and the Origins of the Foreign "War on Drugs"". Journal of Cold War Studies. 18 (2): 28–63. ISSN 1520-3972.
- ^ Matthew, Pembleton (2017). "Containing Addiction: The Federal Bureau of Narcotics and the Origins of America's Global Drug War". login.ezp.lib.cwu.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Valentine, Douglas (2010). "The History of BUNCIN: The US Bureau of Narcotics Covert Intelligence Network".
- ^ "Vydra, singer Darwyn and the Outfit | American Mafia History". mafiahistory.us. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Anderson, Jack (1977). "CIA eyed the creation of killer elite" (PDF). Washington Post.
- ^ Central Intelligence Agency. "Dollmann, Eugene".
- ^ Central Intelligence Agency. "Schwend, Fritz".
- ^ a b (VIDEO) McWilliams, John C.; Lutz, Charles H.; Fearns, Sean (15 October 2014). "Standing In The Shadows: The Legacy Of Harry J. Anslinger, First Commissioner Of Narcotics". Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Transcript of the above video" (PDF).
- ^ "HD Stock Video Footage - LSD tests conducted on unwilling and powerless victims including prostitutes and drug addicts by the CIA in the United States". www.criticalpast.com. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ "HD Stock Video Footage - CIA and other U.S. sponsored experiments dealing with control of animals and people using various techniques during the 1960s and 70s". www.criticalpast.com. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Chasin, Alexandra. Assassin of Youth: A Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslinger’s War on Drugs. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- ^ Albarelli, H. P. (2009). A terrible mistake : the murder of Frank Olson, and the CIA's secret cold war experiments. Internet Archive. Walterville, OR : Trine Day ; Chicago, Ill. : Distribution to the trade byIndependent Publishers Group. ISBN 978-0-9777953-7-6.