Betrayal, murder, corruption

Black Mass  reveals unholy alliance
By Martin Russell
Irish American Post Book Editor

For Boston Globe investigative reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, Black Mass : The Irish Mob, the FBI and a Devil's Deal  (Public Affairs Books, 2000, $26) was an exercise in what journalism should be all about: stories that are carefully crafted, meticulously researched, well-documented and truthful...with all-bases-covered.

Begun as a series of newspaper stories on the South Boston Irish mob in the mid-1980s, the book evolved after both men took a leave from the Globe to devote a year to turning their material into a fast-paced book that exposes the insidious nature of the gangsters who betrayed their tight-knit community -- all the while posing as its protectors. In the ensuing legal fallout, corruption with the Boston bureau of the FBI was exposed and a number of top officers got the chop.

Boston native and Pulitzer winner O'Neill was head of the newspaper's investigative team -- with Lehr one of its members -- which set out to do an overview of Boston's Bulger brothers.  Billy Bulger was a masterful Massachusetts legislator, while James (Whitey) Bulger went the gangster route. The articles eventually focused on the notorious Whitey, who was a hellraiser as a kid and a killer, drug dealer and a federal mole as an adult.  The exposé that this Bulger was a FBI informant was at first treated as just another attack on the Irish enclave of South Boston by the so-called liberal media. 

At the time, the FBI protected "their bad guy" because he was used to provide information on the Italian gangs, in a tried-and-true story of "let the killers eat their own."  Drawn into the web was Bulger's FBI handler, Southie native John Connolly who grew up knowing both the Bulgers.

And as the tale of crime, graft and greed spiraled on, even Bulger's most loyal supporters realized their misplaced trust.  It took a new Boston district attorney, fresh from the outside,  to eventually crack the wall of silence set up around the case by the federal law enforcement agency.

"South Boston had embraced the Robin Hood image of Bulger," related O'Neill, who retired from a three-decade career with the newspaper this January to work on more books. "It was unthinkable in that community even to be a police snitch.  But as evidence surfaced and  long-departed bodies were recovered, it was shown that Bulger betrayed everybody who got near him.  He even betrayed the ethos of South Boston, he betrayed their world," O'Neill said.

Bulger had been feared, as well as respected, throughout South Boston as a ruthless enforcer.  Along with his partner, Steve (The Rifleman) Flemmi, Bulger and his gang shook down everyone in their path.  They regularly used legitimate local businesses as fronts for their crime operations.

Agent Connolly's plan to use Bulger as a rat against the Italians meant that the FBI would protect the Irish gang lord, which it did for years. Eventually, as Black Mass shows, the line between "good and bad" became indistinguishable.

Connolly is now under indictment awaiting trail and Bulger, at age 71, has fled and is numbered among the FBI's Top Ten most wanted.  A million dollar reward is on his head.  "He's wily and time is on his side," said O'Neill. "But his name is mud, he's a man without a country."  

Yet what a change 13 years makes.  In 1988, the FBI, in an attempt to get the paper to back off  the story,  told the Globe team that "Bulger would clip any reporters who dug too deeply into the case," according to O'Neill.  One reporter had to move from his home in South Boston for a time because of such threats.

"The case is similar to The Sopranos, I suppose.  In both situations, there are charismatic gang leaders," O'Neill said, referring to the popular cable television show. "But in the TV series, the hero has a conscience, even seeking psychiatric help.  In real life, Whitey Bulger is a sadistic serial killer."

In preparing the book, a narrative reconstruction of the case,  both writers concentrated on 10 chapters.  "We each had our own dens and would swap chapters for each to read. We'd meet every few days for beer or coffee," O'Neill said. "We had a lot of help from other Globe reporters and a great editor at Public Affairs."

Although O'Neill and Lehr had an agent, the publisher had come to them after reading the newspaper series and asked if they would do the book.  Subsequently, Black Mass  has been optioned by Miramax for a potential movie.

The two men had collaborated earlier in writing another book entitled The Underboss: The Rise and Fall of a Mafia Family  so they had a good working relationship already well-established.

Lehr, a Connecticut native with a Harvard law degree, agreed that "it was a little dicey" at the beginning of their quest to expose Bulger and the FBI involvement. "Not only was it a combustible story on its own, but it cut against the grain of what was believed about Bulger and the FBI -- which was reveling in the glory of busting the Italian mob," he said.

        "We were really lucky to have worked for a newspaper that wanted and supported that sort of investigative journalism, with its collaborative environment," Lehr said. "This is an important job for the press to do.  Besides, who really watches the watchers, such as the FBI?" he asked.  "They are quick to pounce, but since they are top dog in law enforcement, they often get away with stuff," he added.  "The FBI certainly more uptight now in Boston, they have a huge stain on their reputation." 

Leher will be in the Midwest later in the year, promoting Black Mass  when it comes out in paperback.  He currently is writing features for the Globe's Sunday magazine.  "I really like to dig into a story, to get all the details," he related.

Perusing the pages of Black Mass and the extensive notes in the back of the page confirm that these guys knew what they were doing. But, heck, they are reporters and that's their job.  So here's a doff of the fedora, complete with press card stuck in the headband, from another in the profession.  Good work! Good story! Good results!