is a graduate of Yale University (BA, 1951) and Syracuse University (MPA, 1952). Keywords: Alien conspiracy Cosa Nostra Federal Bureau of Investigation Federalīureau of Narcotics illicit enterprise Mafia organized crime Organized Crime Task Force Wickersham Commission.* Dwight C. A more viable alternative is proposed, based on a spectrum approach to enterprise. This paper describes and assesses the origins of the alien conspiracy theory and its continuing value as a point of reference. Although research activities have shown that the theory does not apply to data collected, the theory, reinforced by repetition, still dominates sections of governmental and public opinion. Though some observers have debunked it, the theory survives, largely unquestioned, as a conceptual framework for explaining organized crime. Once accepted there, a version of it was exported to Europe with the acronym “LCN” and accepted by many agencies and authorities without apparent understanding of its purpose and of the circumstances under which it originated. Smith, Jr.*Ībstract: The alien conspiracy theory of organized crime has a peculiar American history. Debate THE ALIEN CONSPIRACY THEORY: AKA THE ELEPHANT IN THE FRONT PARLOR Dwight C.
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