McClellan Committee
The McClellan Committee, officially known as the U.S. Senate's Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field, operated from 1957 to 1959 and played a significant role in investigating corruption within labor unions, particularly the Teamsters Union. Chaired by Senator John L. McClellan, the committee's hearings garnered extensive media attention, especially due to the dramatic exchanges between Chief Counsel Robert F. Kennedy and Teamsters president James Hoffa. Over the course of its investigations, the committee subpoenaed numerous organized crime figures, though many invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify.
Throughout its sessions, the committee uncovered substantial evidence of corruption, leading to the ousting of the Teamsters from the AFL-CIO. While the investigations were controversial, they also contributed to the political rise of several key figures, notably John F. Kennedy, who was reelected in 1958 and later became President. The McClellan Committee's hearings not only highlighted the connections between organized crime and labor unions but also reflected broader themes of political power and public accountability during a transformative era in American history.
McClellan Committee
Identification U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field, created to investigate union corruption
Date Operated from 1957 to 1959
The McClellan Committee made headlines by exposing union corruption, particularly in the Teamsters Union. It exposed criminal control of various unions and advanced the political careers of several of its members, including John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Barry Goldwater.
From 1957 to 1959, the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field (commonly known as the McClellan Committee) conducted highly publicized hearings into union corruption and America’s underworld. The committee involved a number of personalities who later would play a major role in American political life.
The committee made headlines with its investigations of the Teamsters Union and the dramatic confrontation between Chief Counsel Robert F. Kennedy and Teamsters president James Hoffa . The committee brought dozens of organized crime figures into the spotlight even though few of the infamous figures answered any questions.
The committee began its hearings on February 26, 1957, and heard more than fifteen hundred witnesses. Its chair was Senator John L. McClellan from Arkansas. McClellan was a member of the powerful southern bloc in the Senate and a strong conservative. Other members of the committee included first-term Massachusetts senator John F. Kennedy (considered prolabor) and second-term Arizona senator Barry Goldwater (considered antilabor).
Throughout the summer of 1957, the committee focused its attention on Teamsters president David Beck. Evidence of corruption within the Teamsters was so overwhelming that Beck did not seek reelection to the group’s presidency that year.
In addition to union officials, the committee investigated numerous underworld figures, including Tony Accardo and Sam Giancana from Chicago. Most of the alleged gangsters simply plead the Fifth Amendment and refused to say anything at all.
The highlight of the hearings was the explosive confrontations between Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa and Robert F. Kennedy. A series of dramatic exchanges took place, which ended with Hoffa repeatedly stating that he did not remember events or individuals. The confrontations made national news as newspapers, magazines, and television gave the hearings extensive coverage.
In the summer of 1957, Hoffa was arrested and charged with attempts to bribe a committee member to leak information. On July 19, in a trial in Washington, D.C., a jury acquitted him following a sensational trial. In spite of the verdict, evidence continued to mount that the Teamsters were closely tied to organized crime and infested with corruption.
On December 5, 1957, the AFL-CIO expelled the Teamsters Union from the organization. While the ouster increased suspicion of the Teamsters, it ultimately allowed them to expand without any connection to the AFL-CIO.
The McClellan Committee was in session for three years. During that time it also investigated antiunion activities by certain large companies and the actions of more radical unions, including the United Autoworkers. Neither of these investigations generated the publicity or controversy of the Teamsters confrontations.
Impact
The McClellan Committee was a publicity bonanza for several of the participants. Some, such as the Teamsters and organized crime figures, did not enjoy the spotlight but many of the political figures did. Senator John F. Kennedy was overwhelmingly reelected to the Senate in 1958 and went on to win the American presidency. One of Kennedy’s first cabinet appointments was his brother Robert as attorney general. The new attorney general focused his attention on the same figures he had confronted as a staff member for the McClellan Committee.
Bibliography
Kennedy, Robert F. The Enemy Within: The McClellan Committee’s Crusade Against Jimmy Hoffa and Corrupt Labor Unions. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 1994. First published in 1960, this book gives Kennedy’s account of the hearings.
Moldea, Dan E. The Hoffa Wars: Teamsters, Rebels, Politicians, and the Mob. Putnam Pub Group, 1978. A popular account of the rise and fall of Hoffa.
Witwer, David. Corruption and Reform in the Teamsters Union. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2003. Chronicles the history of lawmakers’ efforts to stop corruption within the Teamsters Union and includes a good discussion of the McClellan Committee.