Eliot Ness

To many, the name of Eliot Ness conjures visions of Al Capone, Tommy gun fights, and the all-knowing crime fighter portrayed by Robert Stack in the black-and-white television series The Untouchables. While that character is largely mythical, the accomplishments of the real Eliot Ness were no less fascinating. Ness crossed paths with Capone when Ness was chosen to head a special Prohibition enforcement unit that came to be known as the Untouchables. He later became the public safety director of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1935, where he effectively rooted out corruption and inefficiency in the police department, smashed gambling and extortion rings, tamed violent youth gangs and instituted numerous reforms. During World War II Ness was national director of the government's Social Protection Program, working with police agencies and community organisations near military bases in an effort to stamp out prostitution and curb venereal disease. Later he became chairman of the board of the largest manufacturer of vaults and safes. And before his death in 1957, he teamed with Gen. Claire Lee Chennault of the Flying Tigers air squadron to create an export-import firm dealing exclusively with China.Eliot Ness: The Real Story is the result of years of research, including interviews with many people who knew Ness personally. This newly revised and expanded edition draws on documents discovered since the book was self-published in 1997, including Ness's personal scrapbook detailing his career beyond anything previously reported or published.