Finding Aid to the Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime in California Records, BANC MSS 80/43 c
Finding aid created by Bancroft Library staff using RecordEXPRESS
UC Berkeley. Bancroft Library
2016
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
510-642-6481
bancref@library.berkeley.edu
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Title: Finding Aid to the Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime in California Records, BANC MSS 80/43 c
Dates: 1945-1954
Collection Number: BANC MSS 80/43 c
Creator/Collector:
Hanson, John H.
Hunt, LeRoy P., 1892-1968.
McGee, Richard Allen, 1897-1983.
Olney, Warren, 1904-1978.
Standley, William H., 1872-1963.
California. Attorney General.
California. Department of Motor Vehicles.
California Legislature.
California Public Utilities Commission.
California State Board of Corrections.
California State Department of Justice.
Los Angeles Police Department.
San Francisco Police Department.
Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime.
Western Union Telegraph Company.
Extent: 32 cartons
Repository:
UC Berkeley. Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Abstract: The Records of the California Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime span nine years years, from 1945 to 1954.
The majority of the records in the collection are dated between 1947-1952. The materials consist of correspondence, memos,
field notes, investigation files, reports, newspaper clippings, court documents and a variety of different kinds of evidence
directly related to the commission’s areas of focus.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research, with the following exceptions: in documents related to abortion and prostitution, where a
woman has been identified as being a prostitute or having had an abortion, their names have been redacted and the originals
have been sealed until January 1, 2028.
Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Finding Aid to the Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime in California Records, BANC MSS 80/43 c. UC Berkeley.
Bancroft Library
Gift of Warren Olney III in December 1975.
Biography/Administrative History
The Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime was established by executive order of Governor Earl Warren on November
1, 1947 by virtue of the authority vested in him by Chapter 1181 of the Statute Laws of 1947. The executive order provided
that the subject of the study of the Commission was to be the general subject of organized crime in the State of California
including:
(a) The extent to which persons are organized or otherwise banded together for objects and purposes which violate the laws
of the State of California.
(b) The means and methods used by such persons to further and promote their unlawful objects and purposes.
(c) The conditions which make possible the continued activity of such persons.
(d) The measures considered by the Commission to be appropriate for recommendation to the Executive, Legislative and Judicial
Departments with the object of eradicating organized crime and providing the people of the State with better protection against
the inroads of organized crime.
The California Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime had two phases. The first phase, the Standley Commission,
operated from November 1, 1947 through November 15, 1950. The Hunt Commission continued the same investigative work from October
8, 1951 through June 30, 1952, when the crime study officially ended.
Both phases of the Commission were established by Governor Earl Warren and were headed by Chief Counsel Warren Olney III.
Mr. Olney was born in Oakland, Calif. He earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of California, Berkeley
and then served two years as a deputy district attorney in Contra Costa County, California. This began his long association
with chief justice Earl Warren, who was then the county's chief prosecutor. In 1939, when Warren was state attorney general,
Mr. Olney became assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division, a post he held until 1942.
In that same year, he was commissioned in the Marine Corps and served in the Pacific during World War II. He was in private
law practice in San Francisco from 1946 to 1950. Warren, who was then Governor of California, appointed Olney chief counsel
to the Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime in California.
Mr. Olney served as assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division of the Justice Department from 1953 to 1957.
Less than a year later, he was appointed director of the administrative office of the courts, a position he held until his
retirement 10 years later. As director, he also served as executive officer of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
Olney died in Berkeley,California at age 74 on December 20, 1978.
Scope and Content of Collection
The records of the California Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime span nine years years, from 1945 to 1954.
The majority of the records in the collection are dated between 1947-1952. The materials consist of correspondence, memos,
field notes, investigation files, reports, newspaper clippings, court documents and a variety of different kinds of evidence
directly related to the commission’s areas of focus. The arrangement of the collection is alphabetical by topic following
the original filing system created by the Commission.
The California Special Crime Study Commission was developed to study the scale of organized crime in California after World
War II. The commission worked to identify and study the most prevalent types of crime and the methods in which they were being
conducted. These investigations often involved the interrogation of witnesses and suspected criminals, wiretaps, subpoenas
to acquire bank statements, and reports from local police departments. The commission also identified the conditions that
allowed these types of crimes to successfully function and it offered recommendations to combat these crimes and defeat organized
crime operations.
The California Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime had two phases. The first phase, the Standley Commission,
operated from November 1, 1947 through November 15, 1950. The Hunt Commission continued the same investigative work from October
8, 1951 through June 30, 1952, when the crime study officially ended. Both phases of the Commission were established by Governor
Earl Warren and were headed by Chief Counsel Warren Olney III. Both the Standley and Hunt Commissions studied a variety of
different crimes including gambling, bookmaking, money laundering, abortion, prostitution and narcotics. For each type of
crime, there are notes and exhibits on the specific findings for different towns and counties throughout California.
In addition to the investigation files on local criminal activity, there are several other files focusing on specific suspected
members of the mafia and other organized crime groups, several progress reports, the official final report and several volumes
of testimony and other court documents.
Cartons 24-32 contain index cards used to track phone numbers, addresses and license plate numbers during the Standley and
Hunt commission.
Abortion -- Law and legislation -- California.
Black market.
Bookmaking (Betting).
Criminal investigation -- California.
Gambling and crime--California.
Horse racing--Betting.
Horse racing--Betting--California.
Mafia.
Narcotics--California.
Narcotics and crime--United States.
Organized crime -- California.
Police corruption--California.
Prostitution.
Prostitution--California--Los Angeles.
Prostitution--California--San Francisco Bay Area.
Slot machines.
Tax evasion--California.
Bolger, Leo R.
Cohen, Mickey, 1914-1976.
DeJohn, Nicholas.
Howser, Fred N., 1905-1987.
Keen, Thomas A., 1896-1952.
Olney, Warren, 1904-1978.
Remmer, Elmer.
Siegel, Benjamin, 1906-1947.
California. Attorney General.
California Department of Motor Vehicles.
California Legislature.
California Public Utilities Commission.
California State Board of Corrections.
Los Angeles Police Department.
San Francisco Police Department.
Western Union Telegraph Company.
California.
Los Angeles.
Mendocino County (Calif.).
San Bernardino County (Calif.).
San Francisco.
Black and white photographs.
Correspondence.
Legal works.
Mugshots.
Periodicals.
Record-keeping works.