The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [31]
The Kitchen Workers Union (Las Vegas–based only. There are no other chapters) is not organized-crime-connected & is allowed to operate as a sop to the Las Vegas “Pioneer” contingent & the largely Mormon Nevada political machine. The union is run by Wayne Tedrow Sr. (b. 1905), a conservative pamphleteer, real-estate investor & the owner of a bottom-rung or “Grind Joint” casino, the “Land o’ Gold.” The crew chiefs are all Mormons & the workers (mostly illegal Mexican aliens) are paid substandard wages & are given “bonuses” of dented cans of food & play chips for the Land o’ Gold. The workers live in slum hotels in a Mexican enclave on the West-North Las Vegas border. (Note: Tedrow Sr. is rumored to have hidden points in 14 North Las Vegas “Grind Joints” & 6 liquor store/slot machine arcades near Nellis Air Force Base. If true, these ownerships would constitute infractions of the Nevada Gaming Commission charter.)
The Nevada Gaming Commission oversees & regulates the granting of casino licenses and the hiring of casino personnel. The Commission is a “rubber-stamp” panel that does the bidding of the Gaming Control Board and the Clark County Liquor & Control Board. The same five men (the Clark County Sheriff & District Attorney & 3 appointed “Civilian” members) serve on both boards. Thus, the power to approve liquor and casino license applicants for the entire state rests solely in Las Vegas. None of the 5 board members are overtly organized-crime-connected & it is difficult to assess the level of collusion the boards engage in, because a majority of the applications they review cloak hidden organized-crime backing that is difficult to detect. There are no dossiers available on members of the above organizations. The LVPD Intelligence Unit keeps detailed files on the Gaming Control & Liquor Board men, but has consistently refused to grant the FBI & U.S. Attorney’s Office access to them. (As previously stated, the LVPD is strongly organized-crime-influenced.) The LVPD Intelligence Unit operates city & countywide & is the sole such unit in Clark County. It is a 2-man operation. The commanding officer is Lieutenant Byron B. Fritsch (the adjutant of the LVPD Detective Bureau & strongly connected to the Casino Operators Council) & the only assigned officer is Sergeant Wayne Tedrow Jr. (Sgt. Tedrow is the son of the aforementioned Wayne Tedrow Sr. He is considered incorruptible by Las Vegas Police standards.)
Concluding note: Addendum Files #B-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 require duplicate authorization: Southern Nevada SAC & Deputy Director Tolson.
DOCUMENT INSERT: 12/2/63. Verbatim FBI telephone call transcript. Marked: “Recorded at the Director’s Request”/“Classified Confidential 1-A: Director’s Eyes Only.” Speaking: Director Hoover, Ward J. Littell.
JEH: Good morning, Mr. Littell.
WJL: Good morning, Sir. And thank you for the carbons.
JEH: Las Vegas is a hellhole. It is unfit for sane habitation, which may explain its allure to Howard Hughes.
WJL: Yes, Sir.
JEH: Let’s talk about Dallas.
WJL: The consensus feels secure, Sir. And the Oswald killing seems to be a popular denouement.
JEH: Mr. Ruby has gotten four thousand fan letters. He is quite popular with Jews.
WJL: I’ll concede him a certain panache, Sir.
JEH: Will you concede his ability to keep his mouth shut?
WJL: Yes, Sir.
JEH: I agree with you on the consensus. And I want you to include your thoughts in a detailed report on the events of that hallowed weekend. I will attribute the report to Dallas agents and submit it directly to President Johnson.
WJL: I’ll begin work immediately, Sir.
JEH: The President will announce a commission to investigate King Jack’s death. I will hand-pick the field agents. Your report will provide the President with a snappy preview of their findings.
WJL: Has he formed an opinion, Sir?
JEH: He suspects Mr. Castro or unruly Cuban exiles. In his view, the killing stemmed from King