>>http://nationalinterest.org/bookreview/the-peculiar-life-joseph-kennedy-7630
>>
>>Thought it might interest you - I believe you're a student of that era.
>
>Very interesting, and I am tempted to read Nasaw's book if only to see the details of "Nasaw also disposes of the malicious canard that Kennedy was a bootlegger during Prohibition. But like many others, Kennedy foresaw the end of the Prohibition folly, which effectively delivered one of the country’s greatest industries into the hands of organized crime. He secured large stocks of premium Scotch and exclusive importing arrangements, founded Somerset Importers and collected huge profits." It is my understanding that in partnership with Frank Costello and Zwingy Longman a good deal of that "importing" from Canada took place before 1933 <g>

You clearly have more interest in that timeframe in the US than me -
I had noted your clear assuredness of "clear, somewhat active association"
of Ken. senior to shady side of prohibition.

My take on that topic was that he may have bankrolled some people or operations,
but taking care to be as innocent as any Goldman exec is today after selling
remixed junk, betting against their customers or doing other stuff where
legality largely depends on who is judging after being talked to.

Somewhere in between the article and your take on things

Not researched or studied - mostly soaked up talking to US citizens,
somewhat corrected for estimated knowledge/interest,
early seventies till middle eighties, myself being less cynical than today,
but more than my age group back then.