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Rating: 
Summary: A dull read of dull documents with little background given
Review: The rare cover photo and sexy title are the best things about this book. It is a VERY dull read. There is nothing shocking here for any serious fans that would actually buy this book. To Summarize: No, there is no evidence that the mafia influenced Frank getting his breakthrough role in "From Here to Eternity," no, there is no evidence that Frank was a member of the communist party, yes, there is some evidence that Frank had some casual contact with members of organized crime (as has EVERY major Hollywood star), yes, Frank and Kennedy partied together. This book is more of an indictment of Hoover's heavy-handedness as head of the FBI. They just kept digging and digging on Frank, but really found virtually nothing. The biggest things they had on him was that he was arrested when he was 22 for having an affair with a married woman, that he initally told the draft board that he was in perfect health and later pointed out that he had a perforated eardrum (verified as true) and a neurosis about being in crowds (unlikely, but unverified as true or false), and that he fibbed about whether Chicago organized crime figure Sam Giancanna was at a show that Sinatra was also at in Atlantic City. BIG DEAL! The lack of dirt here proves what I always suspected, that Frank Sinatra was merely a vicitm of b.s. tabloids and a paranoid Cold-War government. The "Sinatra Files" reveal that Frank was actually a very stand-up guy and great American citizen.
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Summary: Q & A with the editors of "The Sinatra Files"
Review: THE SINATRA FILES: The Secret FBI DossierQuestions and Answers with Tom Kuntz and Phil Kuntz, editors Q. Frank Sinatra was one of the most exhaustively chronicled celebrities of modern times. What could possibly be new in this book? A. Plenty. The files include startling revelations: To avoid the draft, Sinatra claimed to be "neurotic" and "afraid to be in crowds." In 1950, an intermediary told the FBI that Sinatra was willing to become an undercover snitch to rat out left-leaning "subversives" in Hollywood. His underworld associates expected him to use his friendship with the Kennedys to get the FBI to go easy on the mob - and discussed exacting revenge when he couldn't deliver. Sinatra narrowly escaped being prosecuted twice for allegedly lying to the authorities, yet FBI agents once proposed recruiting him to become a mob informant. Q. What's the story behind the cover photo? A. That's another thing new about the book. The editors rediscovered this striking photograph in the FBI's archives while doing their research. Previously available only as a very poor quality photocopy, it's the original police mug shot taken during Sinatra's arrest for "seduction" under a false promise of marriage in 1938, when he was 22. The mug shot is destined to become an exemplar of Sinatra iconography, for it captures the singer's boyish sexual charisma and dangerous aura just before his first flash of stardom. Q. Why are the files being published now? A. The FBI released its 1,275-page dossier on Sinatra in late 1998, several months after he died, in response Freedom of Information Act requests. The raw files are disorganized and very redundant, so news reports about them overlooked the most significant revelations. The editors of THE SINATRA FILES organized the documents into reader-friendly narrative chapters to highlight the important new material. Q. It has been suggested for years that Sinatra was a mobster. Was he? A. Sinatra was certainly guilty of associating with mobsters, but the company you keep is not a crime (though it did force Sinatra to relinquish his casino license). In fact, the FBI over decades of surveillance uncovered no evidence sufficient to charge Sinatra with mob-related crimes. Moreover, the files offer little if any support for two persistent myths about Sinatra: that he used Mafia muscle to get out of his contract with the band leader Tommy Dorsey and, later, to win his career-saving role as Private Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity. The latter myth is so embedded in popular imagination that it is assumed to be the inspiration for the horse-head-in-bed scene in The Godfather. Q. So how close did Sinatra come to getting into serious trouble with the law? A. The Feds seriously considered prosecuting him twice, once for stating on a passport application that he had never been a Communist, and once for denying to IRS investigators that Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana had attended a party the singer hosted. Q. So was Hoover evil? A. It is true that Hoover presided over major invasions of the privacy, especially during the McCarthy era, and that the ends don't justify the means. But it also is undeniable that Hoover's invasive snooping was instrumental in blocking the mob from gaining influence in the Kennedy White House. Hoover also helped prevent a major presidential sex scandal from erupting. He kept Robert Kennedy informed about such matters, prompting the attorney general to continue cracking down on the mob and to persuade the president to distance himself from both Sinatra and Campbell. Moreover, Hoover at times showed surprising restraint in pursuing Sinatra, once vetoing a proposal to bug Sinatra's Palm Springs-area home, where the singer had hosted both John Kennedy and Giancana. Q. Tell us more about the draft stuff. A. As a skinny heartthrob during World War II, Sinatra stirred a lot of resentment for making millions thrilling young American women while most young American males were fighting overseas. Columnist Walter Winchell got an anonymous ti
Rating: 
Summary: For Sinatraphiles only
Review: This book is based on a very interesting premise, Frank Sinatra's FBI files. Unfortunately, it is difficult to convert all the information kept on Sinatra into a readable book. Thus, this book is not one you will sit down with on a Sunday afternoon and read. Its really more of a "browser" book. If you are looking for specific information (Frank's mob connections, relationship with JFK, etc.) then it is an excellent resource. Its by no means a biography. I feel that the book is for serious Sinatraphiles like myself. If you have just a passing interest in Sinatra, I'd recommend a biography or something along the lines of "The Way You Wear Your Hat" by Bill Zehme. However, if you've devoured book after book on Sinatra and still want more, this will be a valuable addition to your library.
Rating: 
Summary: Frank Sinatra: America's Most 'Wanted'
Review: Who else but Frank Sinatra could be accused of being a communist and a mafioso at the same time? "The Sinatra Files," edited by Tom and Phil Kuntz, is a treasure trove for those of us who are fascinated by the fact the FBI kept Sinatra under surveillance for almost five decades, but who were reluctant to sift through the 1275 pages of raw data available on the net since late 1998. "The Sinatra Files" neatly collects the FBI data into an extremely readible text beginning in the 40's with an erroneous report that Sinatra paid $40,000 for his 4-F draft status, through the early 80's when he was successful in efforts to get his Nevada Gaming license renewed. Does "The Sinatra Files" reveal anything new? Sort of. Sinatra told the draft board in addition to a punctured eardrum, he also had a fear of crowds and elevators.... In the early 50's when rumors spread through the FBI's halowed halls that Sinatra had Communist affiliations, Frank offered to go undercover to weed out subversives in Hollywood (Frank Sinatra as Herbert Philbrick? Give us a break!) "The Sinatra Files" is worth reading not only for Sinatraphiles who are fascinated with the famous "dark side" of America's finest popular singer, but with the Cold War hysteria that gripped the nation for three decades.
Rating:
Summary: Frank Sinatra: America's Most 'Wanted'
Review: Who else but Frank Sinatra could be accused of being a communist and a mafioso at the same time? "The Sinatra Files," edited by Tom and Phil Kuntz, is a treasure trove for those of us who are fascinated by the fact the FBI kept Sinatra under surveillance for almost five decades, but who were reluctant to sift through the 1275 pages of raw data available on the net since late 1998. "The Sinatra Files" neatly collects the FBI data into an extremely readible text beginning in the 40's with an erroneous report that Sinatra paid $40,000 for his 4-F draft status, through the early 80's when he was successful in efforts to get his Nevada Gaming license renewed. Does "The Sinatra Files" reveal anything new? Sort of. Sinatra told the draft board in addition to a punctured eardrum, he also had a fear of crowds and elevators.... In the early 50's when rumors spread through the FBI's halowed halls that Sinatra had Communist affiliations, Frank offered to go undercover to weed out subversives in Hollywood (Frank Sinatra as Herbert Philbrick? Give us a break!) "The Sinatra Files" is worth reading not only for Sinatraphiles who are fascinated with the famous "dark side" of America's finest popular singer, but with the Cold War hysteria that gripped the nation for three decades.
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