The Sinatra files : the secret FBI dossier

When Frank Sinatra died in 1998, he was one of the most chronicled celebrities ever, but the most unusual record of his life came to light only posthumously: a 1,275-page dossier recording decades of FBI surveillance stemming from J. Edgar Hoover's belief that Sinatra had mob or Communist ties. Abstract: When Frank Sinatra died in 1998, he was one of the most chronicled celebrities ever, but the most unusual record of his life came to light only posthumously: a 1,275-page dossier recording decades of FBI surveillance stemming from J. Edgar Hoover's belief that Sinatra had mob or Communist ties

an American Icon Under Government Surveillance

when Frank Sinatra Died In 1998, He Was One Of The Most Chronicled Celebrities Ever, But The Most Unusual Record Of His Life Came To Light Only Posthumously: A 1,275-page Dossier Recording Decades Of Fbi Surveillance Stemming From J. Edgar Hoover's Belief That Sinatra Had Mob Or Communist Ties. This Shadow Biography, With Information Never Before Presented In Book Form, Details:
hoover's Search Through Sinatra's Past To See If He Got A Bogus Medical Deferment From Military Service, Ultimately Yielding The Simple Fact That Sinatra Really Had Suffered A Perforated Eardrum As A Youththe Fbi's Previously Unreported Cooperation With Journalists Looking For Dirt On Sinatra, Including One Who Had Recently Been Punched Out By The Singernumerous Instances Of The Star's Carousing And Intemperate Behavior — Including A Detailed Report Alleging That He Rampaged Through A Las Vegas Hotel After He And His Wife Mia Farrow Lost Small Fortunes Gamblingthe Mob's Attempts To Curry Favor With John F. Kennedy Through Sinatra — And Its Anger When Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Turned Up The Heat.
this Fascinating Record Of Governmental Scrutiny Will Captivate Every Sinatra Fan, As Well As Anyone Who Wants To Understand The Second Half Of The American Century — The Cold War, Popular Culture, The Cult Of Celebrity, Camelot, And The Fbi's Mania For Investigating American Citizens — All Personified By The Most Dominant Entertainer Of The Era.

publishers Weekly

frank Sinatra, With His Mob Ties, His Ardent New Deal Politics And His Friendship With John F. Kennedy, Was A Natural Target For J. Edgar Hoover's Fbi, Which Spied On Countless Citizens. The Bureau's Secret 1,275-page Dossier On The Singer Was Released In 1998 In Response To Freedom Of Information Act Requests. This Compilation Of Excerpts, Supplemented By Other Declassified Documents And Explanatory Commentary, Certainly Shocks. Sinatra Fans Will Be Livid To Learn How Their Idol Was Spied On, Harassed, Even Smeared By The Fbi Over The Years. Journalist Brothers Tom Kuntz And Phil Kuntz (of The New York Times And Wall Street Journal, Respectively) Present Evidence That Scandalmongering Journalists Fed The Bureau Unsubstantiated, Damaging Rumors That The Fbi Pursued; In Exchange, The Fbi Occasionally Doled Out Dirt On Sinatra To The Press. Charting The Crooner's Metamorphosis From Prominent Supporter Of Left-leaning Causes To Conservative Campaigner For Reagan And Nixon, This Dossier Reveals That For A Year Hoover Investigated Sinatra's Alleged Communist Affiliations, But Came Up Empty-handed. The Fbi Documents Provide Many Glimpses Of Sinatra's Associations With Mobsters, His Rendezvous With Prostitutes, His Extramarital Affair With Ava Gardner (who Became His Second Wife). Readers Learn That The Budding Star, To Get An Exemption From Military Service, Told Draft-board Doctors That He Had An Irrational Fear Of Crowds. Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe, Jfk, Peter Lawford, Chicago Mob Boss Sam Giancana And His Girlfriend, Singer Phyllis Mcguire, Also Turn Up In These Memos And Transcripts. The Book's Most Explosive Sections Reveal The Sleazy Underside Of Camelot. Photos Not Seen By Pw. (july) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

An American Icon Under Government Surveillance When Frank Sinatra Died In 1998, He Was One Of The Most Chronicled Celebrities Ever, But The Most Unusual Record Of His Life Came To Light Only Posthumously: A 1,275-page Dossier Recording Decades Of Fbi Surveillance Stemming From J. Edgar Hoover's Belief That Sinatra Had Mob Or Communist Ties. This Shadow Biography, With Information Never Before Presented In Book Form, Details: Hoover's Search Through Sinatra's Past To See If He Got A Bogus Medical Deferment From Military Service, Ultimately Yielding The Simple Fact That Sinatra Really Had Suffered A Perforated Eardrum As A Youththe Fbi's Previously Unreported Cooperation With Journalists Looking For Dirt On Sinatra, Including One Who Had Recently Been Punched Out By The Singernumerous Instances Of The Star's Carousing And Intemperate Behavior -- Including A Detailed Report Alleging That He Rampaged Through A Las Vegas Hotel After He And His Wife Mia Farrow Lost Small Fortunes Gamblingthe Mob's Attempts To Curry Favor With John F. Kennedy Through Sinatra -- And Its Anger When Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Turned Up The Heat. This Fascinating Record Of Governmental Scrutiny Will Captivate Every Sinatra Fan, As Well As Anyone Who Wants To Understand The Second Half Of The American Century -- The Cold War, Popular Culture, The Cult Of Celebrity, Camelot, And The Fbi's Mania For Investigating American Citizens -- All Personified By The Most Dominant Entertainer Of The Era. From The Trade Paperback Edition. An American Icon Under Government Surveillance When Frank Sinatra died in 1998, he was one of the most chronicled celebrities ever, but the most unusual record of his life came to light only posthumously: a 1,275-page dossier recording decades of FBI surveillance stemming from J. Edgar Hoover's belief that Sinatra had mob or Communist ties. This shadow biography, with information never before presented in book form, details: Hoover's search through Sinatra's past to see if he got a bogus medical deferment from military service, ultimately yielding the simple fact that Sinatra really had suffered a perforated eardrum as a youth. The FBI's previously unreported cooperation with journalists looking for dirt on Sinatra, including one who had recently been punched out by the singer. Numerous instances of the star's carousing and intemperate behavior - including a detailed report alleging that he rampaged through a Las Vegas hotel after he and his wife Mia Farrow lost small fortunes gambling. The mob's attempts to curry favor with John F. Kennedy through Sinatra - and its anger when Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy turned up the heat. This fascinating record of governmental scrutiny will captivate every Sinatra fan, as well as anyone who wants to understand the second half of the American century - the Cold War, popular culture, the cult of celebrity, Camelot, and the FBI's mania for investigating American citizens - all personified by the most dominant entertainer of the era. Memos and other documents reveal J. Edgar Hoover's investigation into Frank Sinatra's suspected ties to the Mafia or the Communist party, and uncovers the singer's instances of violent behavior.