Bobby did target the Mob. This made them very unhappy.
Yeah, especially after he just tried to use the mob to kill Castro. No one likes a double-crosser. Once you get into bed with the mob, you're supposed to stay in bed with them.
Well, I was thinking I'd already gone a little too far in protesting that the K's were squeaky-clean--obviously, there is much to condemn there (as well as much to respect, in my opinion). But I will answer this. First, Mike, your chronology is off. As chief counsel to the Senate Rackets Committee, RFK had already been a scourge of the Mob for four years before JFK even became president.
Second--and this is what I meant when I said that the question of his involvement in the CIA's anti-Castro plots was "compilcated"--Yes, there is no doubt that the Kennedy brothers initiated and were well aware of efforts to disrupt Castro's regime and to encourage the Cubans to overthrow him. According to Talbot, the evidence that they oversaw or approved of efforts to directly assassinate him is much sketchier. There are strong advocates for either side, but many of the claims that they were involved in these can be traced back to CIA personnel with a lot to hide, a lot of hatred for the Kennedys, and lots of reason to deflect responsibility onto the dead.
Talbot directly contests the claim that RFK actually reached out to Mafia figures to take out Castro. The CIA
definitely did, and RFK was mightily pissed when he heard about it (or, if you believe the CIA guys, pretended to be pissed about it.) The story that he approached the Mob was given the strongest imprimatur by Seymour Hersh, but Talbot quotes a memo written by one of Hersh's sources, declassified after Hersh's book came out, that contradicts what he told Hersh.
I don't wanna sound like I live in gumdrop land, the Kennedys have never been huge heroes of mine; when I said my respect had increased, it was not coming from all that high a level to begin with. If you're interested enough to read something that challenges your assumptions, I would recommend the Talbot book, it's extremely readable and compelling.
I checked my copy of
Havana Nocturne and the Kennedys hardly appear in it except for JFK whooping it up with Cuban harlots in 1957. I haven't read
Legacy of Ashes but that's actually a good idea for my next book.