Frank Sinatra FBI Files

Description

Sinatra FBI Files: Timeline and Key Figures

Timeline of Main Events:

• 1938: Frank Sinatra was arrested in Hackensack, New Jersey, on charges of “seduction and adultery.”
• Early 1940s: The FBI began to take an interest in Frank Sinatra.
• 1944 – 1985: The date range of the FBI files covering Frank Sinatra.
• 1946: The FBI received an intelligence bulletin from U.S. military intelligence regarding Frank Sinatra’s sponsorship of the “American Crusade to End Lynchings,” an organization organized by the National Negro Congress and chaired by Paul Robeson. The FBI considered the National Negro Congress to be anti-American.
• Mid-Late 1900s (Specific date unspecified): Gossip columnist Walter Winchell alleged that Frank Sinatra bribed a doctor to obtain a 4-F Selective Service classification. This allegation was reportedly disproved.
• Mid-Late 1900s (Specific dates unspecified): The FBI gathered reports on Frank Sinatra socializing with organized crime figures.
• Mid-Late 1900s (Specific dates unspecified): The FBI investigated accounts of Frank Sinatra being the target of death threats and extortion schemes.
• Early 1960s (Implied): The FBI paid attention to the relationship between Frank Sinatra and John F. Kennedy.
• Early 1960s (Implied): The FBI focused on Sinatra’s association with Sam Giancana.
• Early 1960s (Implied): The FBI documented Sinatra introducing Judith Campbell Exner to President John F. Kennedy.
• November 2017: Some of the FBI files on Frank Sinatra were declassified.

Cast of Characters:

• Frank Sinatra: (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) An American singer, actor, and producer, considered one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. His FBI files, dating from 1944 to 1985, cover various aspects of his life, including his political activities, alleged connections to organized crime, personal life, and as a target of threats.
• Paul Robeson: (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) An African American singer, actor, athlete, and advocate for social justice and civil rights. He chaired the National Negro Congress, an organization that sponsored the “American Crusade to End Lynchings,” which drew the attention of the FBI due to their perception of the organization as anti-American.
• Walter Winchell: (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) A powerful and influential American gossip columnist and radio personality. He is mentioned for making an allegation (later disproved) that Frank Sinatra bribed a doctor to avoid military service.
• John F. Kennedy: (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963) The 35th President of the United States. The FBI files cover his relationship with Frank Sinatra, including Sinatra’s association with Sam Giancana and the introduction of Judith Campbell Exner to Kennedy.
• Sam Giancana: (May 24, 1908 – June 19, 1975) A notorious American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit. The FBI paid attention to Frank Sinatra’s association with him.
• Judith Campbell Exner: (January 11, 1934 – September 24, 1999) An American woman known for her relationships with both President John F. Kennedy and Mafia leaders Sam Giancana and John Roselli. The FBI files document Frank Sinatra’s role in introducing her to President Kennedy.

Frank Sinatra FBI Files

3,072 pages of FI files covering Frank Sinatra. Files date from 1944 to 1985. Some files were not declassified until November 2017.

Francis Albert Sinatra ( December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. His FBI files are as long, varied and multifaceted as his life.

One of the early things that brought Frank Sinatra under the attention of the FBI was when in 1946 the FBI received an intelligence bulletin from U.S. military intelligence about his sponsorship of  “American Crusade to End Lynchings” organized by the National Negro Congress, chaired by Paul Robeson, the organization was considered anti-American by the FBI.

The FBI gathered reporting on Sinatra socializing with organized crime figures, an allegation from gossip columnist and radio personality Walter Winchell which was disproved, that he bribed a doctor to obtain a 4-F Selective Service classification,  record of a 1938 arrest in Hackensack, New Jersey on charges of “seduction and adultery”, and accounts of Sinatra as the target of death threats and extortion schemes. Files cover the relationship between Sinatra and John F. Kennedy. Attention is given to Sinatra’s association with Sam Giancana and Sinatra introducing Judith Campbell Exner to President Kennedy.