Jimmy Hoffa: Have They Finally Found Him?
James Riddle Hoffa, more commonly known as Jimmy Hoffa, was born in Indiana to a poor family. From these humble beginnings, he rose to be perhaps the most prominent figure in labor union history. Hoffa’s father died when Hoffa was quite young and this led to Hoffa travel to Michigan where he began working in warehouses as on of the lowest workers in the shop. He got to see first hand how management treated the workers and laborers. Not long after this Hoffa organized a labor strike over the worker mistreatment. Having found his calling, his days as a worker were numbered as his union potential started to unfold. Hoffa rose through the ranks of the Teamster’s Union which was also know as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
By way of review, labor unions had developed in response to the mistreatment of workers and poor working conditions that had long plagued industry in the . The unions gave the common worker a collective voice on issues such as wages, retirement, work schedules and other issues related to the worker’s welfare. However, some would argue that the cure was not much better than the problem. The primary focus of the various unions was to work for and advocate the worker. However, all too often things such as graft, bribery, intimidation, embezzlement, outright violence and ties to organized crime quickly became a reality of the unions.
Hoffa’s Teamsters were ultimately one of the largest unions in the country. The Teamster’s name came from their original work description where a teamster would run a team of oxen to pull a cart. However, the modern day version of the Teamster when Hoffa came to power was in shipping, trucking and the delivery of various goods which included the over-the-road transportation industry. When Hoffa took control of the Teamster’s in 1957, the former president had been sent to prison. Hoffa, however, didn’t let this concern him and he wasted no time in seeking to further the Teamster’s presence and scope. Hoffa saw the Teamster’s expand across the country and by the early 1960’s had succeeded in bringing nearly all of the over-the-road truckers in the country under one national contract. From here Hoffa decided to expand even further to include even airline pilots. However, this raised the concern of governmental regulators out of fear that having virtually all shipping and transportation in the country under the umbrella of one union would create a situation where a strike could potentially cripple the economy of the country. Hoffa’s plan for further expansion ultimately never happened.
However one of the main concerns that many had in regard to Hoffa was his ties to organized crime. It was these very ties to organized crime that allowed Hoffa to assume the control of the Teamsters and in return, Hoffa allowed organized crime to exert control over the union. Essentially this meant that through the Mafia’s control, they could force certain strikes or resort to blackmail to gain profits from different locals and businesses. As well, via kick backs and deals signed by the local unions with the Teamsters, Hoffa and the other union leaders grew rich while the individual workers suffered. However, Hoffa, the master tactician was able to play people against each other and did this to his initial benefit with the mafia.
However, Hoffa’s grasp on the unions started to falter. In 1967, Hoffa was convicted of attempting to bribe a grand juror and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison; however, his sentence was commuted by President Nixon to time served on the condition that he not be involved in Union activities for a period of 10 years.
Several years later when Hoffa was to meet with some mob leaders in Michigan, he disappeared from the Machus Red Fox restaurant near Detroit. Since his disappearance, the location of his body and his ultimate fate continue to fuel wide speculation and conspiracy theories that persist even today. While Hoffa would have secured his place in history due to his role in expanding the Teamsters; his true place in history has been cemented not because of anything that he did, but by his disappearance, likely murder and the continued search for his body.
Some of the more popular theories are that his body is in the New Jersey Turnpike, was dumped into one of the Great Lakes, buried under Giant’s Stadium, was put in a car that was compacted, was buried in either Michigan, New Jersey or New York or was even buried in Elvis’ grave. Several criminals with Mafia ties have reported that he was placed in the trunk of a car which was then destroyed and likely recycled. They went on to say that Hoffa was now a car bumper.
Since his disappearance in 1975, there have been a number of leads that have been pursued by authorities; however, none have developed to the point of a criminal indictment nor have they revealed the location of Hoffa’s remains. DNA belonging to Hoffa was found in a car whose owner had earlier said that Hoffa had never been in the car, but again, no indictment resulted.
Other leads from people with Mafia ties have recently been explored, but then dismissed without a great deal of attention. However, earlier this month, the FBI began examining a farm known as the Hidden Dreams Farm in Milford Township, Michigan, a community 45 miles northwest of Detroit. The FBI has had more than 40 agents and specialists searching the 85 acre farm and have recently begun taking down a large barn on the site to examine what may be underneath. The FBI is keeping silent on the subject, but aerial photos have shown a great deal of activity on the property.
The Detroit Free Press has reported that a 75 year old federal prisoner supplied information that lead to the search. It appears that the prisoner, who is in jail on marijuana charges, lived on the farm at the time of Hoffa’s disappearance. The farm is also only about 20 miles away from where Hoffa vanished. The Free Press has also reported that the prisoner had, as early as 1976, offered to provide information to the FBI on the location of Hoffa’s remains, but the FBI was not then interested. Even recently, the FBI was initially standoffish according to the paper so much so that the prisoner had to threaten to go to the media with the information. However the FBI ultimately listened and has begun their search. Apparently the prisoner and another man were present around the time of Hoffa’s disappearance when several others, with a backhoe dug a hole and placed a cylinder shaped object covered with plastic in the hole. One of the men present, Rolland McMaster, an associate of Hoffa’s, according to the prisoner, said words to the effect of, “there goes Hoffa.”
The current search has forensic specialists, cadaver sniffing dogs, ground penetrating radar and even a private contractor assisting in the demolition of structures on the property.
While it is impossible to say if Hoffa has finally been found, while the FBI is appears as of May 30th has suspended their search of the property, it is clear they are serious about looking for him when they receive a lead they believe is credible.
Hoffa’s son presently heads the Teamsters and his daughter is a judge in Missouri.
