Perfect villains, imperfect heroes

When the newly elected president John F. Kennedy appointed his younger brother attorney general, there was a firestorm of criticism. Not only was the nepotism blatant, but Robert Kennedy had never tried a case in court. In addition, he was considered ruthless, highly politicized, and intemperate. Ironically, this young man, widely thought to be unqualified, went on to become one of the most active, effective attorneys general in history. In Robert Kennedy's four-year tenure as the nation's chief law-enforcement official, he waged a concerted war on organized crime. Ronald Goldfarb, one of the bright young lawyers recruited by Kennedy to work as part of the special rackets prosecution team, tells how RFK overcame the reservations of his liberal critics. Perfect Villains, Imperfect Heroes is Goldfarb's insider's view of one of the Kennedy administration's most exciting and largely untold stories.