Ed Reid Explained

Ed Reid, (c1915 - 1977) was an author and investigative journalist who exposed organized crime in New York City and Las Vegas.

Early life

He was born in Manhattan and grew up in Brooklyn. Reid started as a reporter in 1935 and used his writing to fight corruption.

Career

An eight-part series starting in 1949 exposed the activities of bookmaker Harry Gross and corrupt members of the New York City Police Department. This exposé led to an investigation by Brooklyn District Attorney Miles McDonald, and resulted in the eventual resignation of Mayor of New York City William O'Dwyer.^{[1] [2]} His article in True Magazine I Broke the Brooklyn Graft Scandal was the basis for the 1958 movie The Case Against Brooklyn.^[3]

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Reid worked at the Las Vegas Sun. His investigative reporting exposed the hidden ownership interest of mobsters Jake and Meyer Lansky in the Thunderbird Hotel.^[4] Reid, with Ovid Demaris, co-authored The Green Felt Jungle, a New York Times Best Seller for 23 weeks in 1964, that exposed greed and depravity in Las Vegas.^[5] The book connected then Senator Barry Goldwater to labor racketeer Willy Bioff. Goldwater threatened a libel suit against the publisher.^[6] Reid and Demaris were invited to join a panel on David Susskind's show "Open End" for a discussion of organized crime.^[7] Reid was dismissed from the Las Vegas Sun by publisher Hank Greenspun after he wrote The Green Felt Jungle.^[8]

Recognition

His reporting for the Brooklyn Eagle earned the public service 1951 Pulitzer Prize^[9] and numerous other awards.

Family

He was married to Natalie (Borokhovich) Reid and had two children.

Works

• Reid, Ed. Mafia. New York: Random House, 1952.
• Reid, Edward. The Shame of New York. [an Account of Crime and Corruption in the City of New York.]. Victor Gollancz: London, 1954.^[10]
• Reid, Ed. Las Vegas: City Without Clocks. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1961.
• Reid, Ed, and Ovid Demaris. The Green Felt Jungle. New York: Trident Press, 1963.
• Reid, Ed. The Grim Reapers: The Anatomy of Organized Crime in America. New York: Bantam, 1970.
• Reid, Ed. The Mistress and the Mafia (The Virginia Hill Story). Bantam, 1972.
• Reid, Ed. Mickey Cohen: Mobster. Pinnacle Books, 1973.

Notes and References

1. Crime at Mid-Century by Nicholas Pileggi New York Magazine December 30, 1974 https://books.google.com/books?id=MekCAAAAMBAJ&dq=ed+reid+brooklyn+eagle&pg=PA60
2. The Epic of New York City: A Narrative HistoryBy Edward Ellis 1990 https://books.google.com/books?id=3o03BAAAQBAJ&dq=ed+reid+harry+gross&pg=PT435
3. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0717248/ Ed Reid - IMDB
4. https://books.google.com/books?id=KYMkDgAAQBAJ&dq=ed+reid+thunderbird+jake+lansky&pg=PA104 Vegas and the Mob By Al W Moe p.104
5. Web site: The Book That Tried to End Las Vegas. 4 September 2013.
6. News: GOLDWATER PLANS TO SUE OVER BOOK. Times. Charles Mohr; Special To The New York. 1964-05-16. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 2016-07-27.
7. News: 'OPEN END' LISTS CRIME DISCUSSION. 1964-02-24. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 2016-07-27.
8. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2001/mar/02/where-i-stand----brian-greenspun-lv-book-is-true-f/ Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: LV book is true fiction Las Vegas Sun March 2, 2001
9. Web site: 8 May 1951, Page 1 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com.
10. News: A Picture We Know: THE SHAME OF NEW YORK. By Ed Reid. 226 pp. New York: Random House.. EMANUEL . PERLMUTTER. New York Times. October 18, 1953. BR49.