svetikya Page 541
Page 541
Seeing his expression, even the supervisor almost thought he had actually invited someone else to meet his boss.
Chapter 607 Lucky Charlie
"At 4:45 p.m. on July 28, MacArthur's infantry, cavalry, and tank forces appeared on Pennsylvania Avenue, firing tear gas and smoke grenades to begin suppressing the protests. Just after 10 p.m., almost all the cabins in the camp were set ablaze, the flames rising 50 feet and spreading into the nearby woods. Unsuspecting firefighters rushed from six nearby fire stations to put out the fire."
"It is understood that most of the protesters were World War I veterans and their families, numbering over 25000. They gathered in Washington, D.C., waiting and pleading for government assistance. According to incomplete statistics, it is estimated that at least 100 people were injured, two veterans were killed, and at least three children and infants died from tear gas asphyxiation during the entire dispersal process."
The effects of the Great Depression were felt across all sectors of the economy.
Of course, among them were veterans of World War I, for whom the compensation promised by the American government was their only hope of surviving the Great Depression.
During World War I, American soldiers who participated in the war were entitled to an additional 25 cents per day on top of their regular $1 pay. However, this allowance was not paid to American soldiers during the war.
However, after the war, the American government was unable to afford these costs, so in 1031924 it passed and approved the Service Certificate Amendment Act. Under this act, the American government issued welfare certificates to World War I veterans for the first time, promising to pay them $1 per day of service after 20 years, with interest.
This bill, with twenty years of unpaid wages, is itself full of calculated implications.
However, the arrival of the Great Depression plunged the already impoverished veterans into despair.
In order to obtain compensation, these veterans, along with their wives and children, dressed in old uniforms and carrying faded, beautiful national flags, marched silently or spontaneously in formation, singing war songs.
The march began in January of this year when it took to the streets of Washington, D.C.
But these protesting veterans certainly didn't expect that what awaited them was not a welcome from the government, but a ruthless crackdown.
Throughout the entire crackdown, apart from President Hoover, he was the one issuing orders.
The most popular character is, of course, Douglas MacArthur, who was later called the best “actor” rather than General MacArthur.
In a later speech to Congress, the four-star general exclaimed, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away."
They spared no effort in the crackdown, even using tanks and cavalry to destroy camps of veterans and protesters in raids, turning them into homeless people.
Douglas MacArthur himself did not bear the brunt of the incident, but instead made his own contributions, later becoming the Army Chief of Staff.
As the media mocked, "They earned their place in history books by sending many similarly disenfranchised poor people to terrible deaths."
...
“We have arrived, Mr. Xu Fu.”
In the passenger seat, the leader's words diverted Xu Fu's thoughts from the news in the newspaper.
He closed the newspaper in his hand and turned to look out of the car.
The enormous stadium gave him a slightly surprised look.
Clearly, he hadn't expected that the boss these people were talking about was actually located at the famous polo field.
Inside the stadium, the New York Yankees baseball team was playing their first World Series game, and the stadium was packed with spectators.
"Boss, they're here."
On the other hand, Xu Fu, led by a supervisor, passed through a narrow passageway and arrived at a rather spacious observation deck.
A middle-aged man in a well-fitting suit, with sunken eyes and obvious scars on his face, sat in the center of the viewing platform, smoking a cigar. He was surrounded by several bodyguards or attendants, who wore hats and had noticeable bulges under their clothes.
A person who might sit in such a seat at the Polo Grounds during a Yankees baseball game is clearly not an ordinary person.
The fact that they contacted the other party by extending an invitation to themselves clearly indicates that the other party is not innocent.
Upon hearing the leader's reminder, the middle-aged man shifted his gaze from the baseball game in the center field and turned to look at Xu Fu in front of him.
His calm demeanor surprised the middle-aged man, causing his lowered eyes to twitch slightly.
After saying this, he took a puff of his cigar, slowly stood up, and extended his other hand: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Xu Fu. I wonder if the men I sent startled you."
The middle-aged man's words clearly had some meaning.
Xu Fu pretended not to understand the implication and gently touched her hand. "Obviously not."
After hearing Xu Fu's reply, the man cast a deep gaze at him from the corner of his lowered eyes, and then pointed to the seat on the observation deck in front of him: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Charlie Luciano, and I am a businessman."
Charlie Luciano?
Upon hearing this person introduce himself, Xu Fu's eyes involuntarily furrowed.
Clearly not a stranger's name, Luciano.
Charlie Luciano, or "Lucky Charlie".
The man in the well-fitting suit, who looks like a wealthy businessman, is a famous figure in American history. He is known as the father of modern American organized crime, presided over the first world convention of the American Mafia, and established the American Mafia's prosperity for the next 50 years.
Luciano himself was even the model for the old Godfather in the movie "The Godfather".
He is also the cousin of another famous Mafia leader, "Scarface" Al Capone.
Unlike his cousin, who was a high-ranking official with a grand entrance, Lucino was more astute and knew how to disguise himself. He remained behind the scenes for many years, always adhering to the principle of caution, never leaving a trace of his actions, even in trivial matters such as making phone calls and conversing with others.
That's why he wasn't afraid to show himself in front of Xu Fu, even though he knew Xu Fu was the owner of the Messenger newspaper.
Even Luciano often appeared in restaurants and theaters with prominent civic leaders, artists, and other celebrities, using this overshadowing approach to conceal his true identity and appear more respectable.
According to Xu Fu, this may be the real difference between Luciano and Capone, whose main purpose was to do evil, create tragedy, and enrage the public.
On the other hand, Luciano concealed his crimes through high-level conduct, which led people to believe that he was a respectable and decent member of high society.
Chapter 608 Proverbs
That's so well said!
As Luciano spoke, the crowd around PoloGrounds suddenly burst into applause as Yankees legend Babe Ruth hit a home run during the game.
"Well done!"
Turning his head to look at the baseball field, Luciano took a puff of his cigar, the smile disappearing from his downcast eyes. He turned and nodded to the bodyguard standing behind him.
Then, a few minutes later.
The baseball that Babe Ruth knocked out of the park ended up in Luciano's hands.
"Tell Mr. Rupert for me that I would like to invite Babe Ruth out to dinner and have him sign a baseball."
After fiddling with the baseball in his hand for a while, Luciano handed it to the bodyguard standing behind him and gave a report.
Rupert, the current owner of the Yankees, is also one of the notable figures who has had contact with Luciano. The two even frequently drank at the same parties.
After dealing with this minor matter, Luciano turned his head and shifted his gaze back to the real Xu Fu in front of him.
Opposite him, Xu Fu met his gaze with the same calm expression on his face.
His improved skills during this period gave him confidence that he could emerge unscathed from most dangerous situations, including this direct encounter with Lucio.
Seeing the calm and composed expression on Xu Fu's face, Luciano's lowered eyes lit up. He returned to his original seat and said slowly, "Frankly speaking, Mr. Xu Fu, I did not intend to invite you in such an offensive way."
“I have always been a strong supporter of newspapers like The Courier, which dare to expose the truth about society. It is because of you that New York is a better place and has reduced corruption and police incompetence.”
Xu Fu found this scene inexplicably ironic, because these words were spoken to Luciano, his true identity.
This man, known as the "father of modern organized crime in America," is talking face-to-face about the work of the New York City police.
Who would have thought that a middle-aged man, who moves in and out of high society and is impeccably dressed, is actually the godfather of crime in New York?
"There might just be some misunderstandings..."
After agreeing with Xu Fu's earlier exposé of the mayor's bribery scandal in the Messenger newspaper, Luciano changed the subject, his tone clearly showing regret: "Perhaps, Mr. Xu Fu, you exposed the New York City mayor's scandal under the impetus of your work in the media, but clearly there are some hidden entities or political parties behind it that have taken advantage of it. They've turned it into a tool for mutual attacks and used it to try to eliminate dissidents...."
After a brief period of preparation, Luciano finally revealed the purpose of his trip.
No, you're wrong. I never expose things because of the vague notion of a sense of justice.
"What do you mean?"
He silently answered the question in his mind, but outwardly, Xu Fu still wore an expression of incomprehension and asked.
"Tammany Association...."
Taking a puff of his cigar, Luciano slowly uttered a name that was not unfamiliar to Xu Fu.
"The Tammany Society has consistently sought to improve New York City and has achieved tremendous success, including the construction of the Manhattan Bridge and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, both under its guidance. During the Great Depression, the Society worked to help orphans who were unemployed or without livelihoods and assisted more than 10,000 people in distress through the most difficult days of the Depression."
The Tammony Association, as Luciano described it, appears to be a charitable organization that actively promotes New York government development and is dedicated to helping the poor.
However, the information Xu Fu received from LaGuardia was very different from what he had been told.
Although the Tammany Association had a certain track record with the New York City municipal authorities, Lucino consciously or unconsciously ignored the fact that the association itself had been frantically accumulating wealth through various means, such as government contracts, inflated costs, and kickbacks.
The reality is far from that, as LaGuardia cites the Manhattan Bridge as an example.
After the Tammany Association signed the contract, construction began in 1909 and was not completed until 1923, taking a total of 14 years. During this period, the association spent $6 to bribe the New York City Council and obtain more than half of the private stock of the bridge construction company.
Because only private shareholders have voting rights on the company's board of directors, the project and its value remain in the hands of the Tammany Association, regardless of how much money the New York and Brooklyn governments invest.
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Another famous example of the Tammany Society is the New York Courthouse, which was approved for construction in 1858. Its budget soared from an initial $25 to $100 million the following year. After its completion, the Budget and Appropriations Committee estimated in 1914 that its cost was between $1100 million and $1200 million, almost twice the cost of the Beautiful Nation purchasing Alaska from the White Bear Nation during the same period.
We cannot calculate the exact amount of money involved, but some documented accounts provide clues: two days of bricklaying work cost $133187, which in later years would have been nearly $200 million; the carpenter in the courthouse did not do much work, but the work paid out to him. The carpenter in the courthouse did not do much work, but the "carpenter" received $360,751 for a month's work, equivalent to $500 million.
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And this is just the tip of the iceberg for the Tammany Association.
"...and it is precisely groups like the Tammany Association that have been targeted as political opponents by the Republican Party because of their relationship with the New York government. They are using Mr. Xu Fu's report to smear the association."