Al Capone and The Secret Service

In 1930, Al Capone met with the Secret Service and introduced them to a NYC based informant.


Request a meeting

Al Capone was sentenced to a year in Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary for carrying a concealed weapon in 1929. 1 Two days before his scheduled release in 1930, he made a telephone call from the Penitentiary to the Secret Service headquarters in New York. Capone requested a conference with the heads of the New York and Chicago offices (Agent Straight and Agent Callaghan). 2

Received a long distance telephone call from AL CAPONE, EASTERN PENITENTIARY, Philadelphia, CAPONE talking with Principal Operative CALLAGHAN, arranging for a conference in Philadelphia tomorrow, Sunday, at the Penitentiary during the forenoon for Principal Agent CALLAGHAN and self, Agent CALLAGHAN requesting that I come to Philadelphia.

Alan G Straight. Principal Operative. Secret Service. New York District. 15th March 1930.

Meeting

The two agents traveled to the penitentiary the following day and held a conference with Capone. 3

Left New York with Principal Operative CALLAGHAN, and proceeded to Philadelphia, PA., arriving there at 1P.M. Engaged with Principal Operative CALLAGHAN in conference with the Superintendent at the EASTERN PENITENTIARY on matters of interest to this office. Principal Operative CALLAGHAN will submit a confidential report to you concerning the results of this conference.

Alan G Straight. Principal Operative. Secret Service. New York District. 16th March 1930.

Capone introduced the agents to a new informant based in New York. The Secret Service agents later met this informant on several occasions. 4

Received a telephone call from Informant SAM, introduced to me at the EASTERN PENITENTIARY by AL CAPONE in the presence of Principal Operative CALLAGHAN, of the Chicago Office. This informant asked that I connect with him tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock outside, outside of this office, and proper arrangements were made for this meeting.

Alan G Straight. Principal Operative. Secret Service. New York District . 16th March 1930.

Informant

The identity of informant ‘Sam’ has not yet been discovered. The Secret Service had several informants named ‘Sam’ at the time. One was Sam Kranz, who was described in reports as a “dangerous type of informant” and a “leader of a gang of racketeers who deal in everything from dope to posing as federal agents,” 5 and may have been a collector for the Dutch Schultz gang. 6

  1. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (May 26, 1929) F15[]
  2. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 87, Daily Reports of Agents. New York. Vol. 107. (Mar 15, 1930) []
  3. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 87, Daily Reports of Agents. New York. Vol. 107. (Mar 16, 1930) []
  4. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group  87, Daily Reports of Agents. New York. Vol. 107 (Mar 19,, 1930); New York. Vol. 110 (May 2, 1930) []
  5. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group  87, Daily Reports of Agents. New York. Vol. 107 (Dec 16, 1931) []
  6. Syracuse Herald Feb 21 1937. p3 []