The American Detective Who Fought the Kaiser’s Spy Ring and an Anarchist Bombing Syndicate

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2024

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

America in the early twentieth century was rife with threats. Organized crime groups like the Mafia, German spies embedded behind enemy lines ahead of World War I, package bombs sent throughout the country, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing dominated headlines. And one man was tasked with combating these threats.

Born to working-class parents in 1867, Willaim Flynn launched the first antiterrorist program, unraveled a German spy network, and took on the Mob. Dubbed “the bulldog” for his tenacity, Flynn earned a high-profile reputation as one of the most respected, incorruptible, and storied law enforcement officials in the country.

To explore these issues is today’s guest is Jeffrey Simon, author of "The Bulldog Detective: William J. Flynn and America's First War Against the Mafia, Spies, and Terrorists." He takes us back to an era when counterfeiters plagued butcher shops, German spies rode the subway, and anarchists bombed targets across the country, including using a horse-drawn wagon to set off an explosion on Wall Street that, at the time, was the worst terrorist attack ever to occur in America.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's going to hear with another episode of the History Unplugged Podcast.
0:08.0	America in the early 20th century was rife with threats and it could be considered
0:11.4	the first age of global terrorism.
0:13.6	On June 2nd, 1919, Anarchist bombed seven cities at the same time.
0:18.3	German spies embedded behind enemy lines ahead of World War I and organized crime groups like the mafia controlled major cities and one man was tasked with combating all these threats
0:27.3	William Flynn was a detective who was later named deputy police commissioner of New York in 1910 and he launched the nation's first anti-terrorist
0:35.2	program.
0:36.2	He was dubbed the Bulldog for his tenacity, hearing a high-profile reputation as one of the
0:40.3	most respected, incorruptible, and storied law enforcement officials in the country.
0:44.4	He unraveled a German spy network and had agents supported, took down a major mafia figure
0:48.7	for counterfeiting.
0:49.7	It was so popular that there was a silent movie serial made about his adventures in 1918.
0:55.0	But his popularity waned after the Palmer raids in 1920, in which a number of suspected
0:59.7	radical immigrants were deported and their civil liberties were violated, which was all done by Jager Hoover,
1:05.0	and in order to avoid blame, he threw Flynn under the bus.
1:08.0	For this reason, Flynn is largely being forgotten in American history.
1:11.0	But to look at his life in his story
1:13.2	at the height of influence is today's guest,
1:15.2	Jeffrey Smith, author of the Bulldog Detective,
1:17.6	William J Flynn, in America's first war
1:19.5	against the mafia, spies, and terrorists.
1:22.3	Hope you enjoy this episode.
	...

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