◆ SpookStack

—AOHN EDGAR HOOVER © Y ¢_pIECTOR ne D. &. Department of Justice ~_ w ® 5 end J September 235, 1930. { : REOORDED & INDEXED | ceyri7g Yay <TIeATION MERSOR4NDUN FOR THE DIRECTOR Sie 24 Way SEP 24 1930 At 2 o'clock on the afternoon of the £0th instant_I attended ernference in the office of Mr. Nugent Dodds, when there were present Yr. Dodds, Kr. Oseagor Ly. O'Briante Division, Mr. Donald D#Conn, Managing Director of the®Cslifor ia Vineyardists association, Cheirman, Bx-Commis- ara of the Fruit Industries, Inc., 85 Second Street, San Francisco, and ir Merritt, formerly Managing Director of the Sunkiet Orange Co. ami now aesoci ted with Mr. Conn. The discussicn first revolved about the questicn as to the power of we Departuent under the atetutes to assign En Agent of the Burcsu to th@Farm Loan Board for such work as the Farm Lean Bosrd might direct, presumebly in connection with the proveetan of the person of kr. Conn, whoss life has been threatened by the*kengaters of Chicagoe Not heving any very definite idea as to what the matter was all about, I requested Xr. Conn to relate the story which he did ani which was in substance about as follows: For sever.l ycars buck it seems thet the gangsters of Chicago and _Nen Yers rerticularly have levied tribute against the grepe growers and shippers of juice grapes in the form of an assessment agsinst each earload of grapes coming into Chicago ani alse in the form of an assessment of Sg against each lug or crate of grapes sold et the Chicago Freight Yards fran the cars. Mr. Conr stated thet they nad endeavored to combat this practice which led to depression of the grepe market and in his efforts to,ascertain exactly what i going on, he pleced e& gangster by the name of TooSerrere, one of the Capone group, on his payroll und ascertained the facts with regard to this racket which is designed to permit th2 gangsters to buy in the grapss arriv- - ing at Chicego at practically their own price because of the fact that they destroy the market fcr the grapes. He st-ted thet the Chicazo Pelice were edsolutely under the domination of the gangs; thet during the grape shipping Beason while the cerloads of grapes were on the trecks at Chicago, the police invariably conducted numerous raids particulerly in the foreign section of chicago seizing and destroying sm*ll lots of home made wine and intimicating the foreign populace so th-t they would not go to the freight yards to purchase crepes end manufecture wine for their own consumption. He steted further that the gengsters employed sever:1 men to warn the foreign element at the freight yards to be careful es the police and Prohibition Department were ective in seercning out those who purchssed grepee to munufectvre wine. He steted further thet Ferrera had given him the information reletive tc the persns cehind this racket. Ferrere's employment with Conn, of course, wes supposed to be unknown to Capone but appare:.tly they learned something of his double rsa tiidge E250 ys degling because o fev months back Ferrera end bie companion were shot and LOL ones 30 yas 2yss Xd 120 sub 27 04 nn re ee enn ee cen eee eee