‘The Castlegar Sun Union ‘boss Hoffa. Circa 1963. arrived cither, ime he mentioned that Anthony Jimmy kept dublous com- pany. Tony Jack, a reported Mafia enforcer, was awaiting trial on income tax: evasion, Tony Pro had at one time been a inion dent and had been a friend of Jimmy's while both were serving time In Lewisbur; ug Federal Prison, The boys had a fallin, out in prison and were no longer on good ‘ms, : erms, Both Giacalone and Provenzano would later deny any involvement In the grea- test dl: Amb: mall since walked into a snowstorm In Toronto and disappeared forever, Jimmy Hoffa never had lunch that day nor any other day. He disappeared off the face of the earth. é In a period’ of 14 years, Hoffa had built the Teamsters Union into the stron- gest and wealthiest union in North America. Defrocked and tossed. into prison for jury tampering and mail fraud, Jimmy had recently been released. The current president of the union, Frank Fitzsimmons, heard the rumors. He couldn't help it. Jimmy Hoffa was making noises. He wanted the presidency back and meant to do every- thing in ‘his power to wrestle contro! from Fitzsimmons. These boys played hardball. Fitzsim- mons’ son Richard had narrowly escaped death a month earlier when his car had been blown up. President Fitz- simmons claimed he had no idea who had abducted Jimmy Hoffa. For several days after the disappear- ance, police, most notably the FBI, held. out hope that Hoffa had been abducted in some sort of labor power play and. would turn up. As time passed, it became obvious that he had been mur- der For some time after his disappear- ance, it was theorized that Hoffa, fear- ing for his life, had fled the country, but few believed that Jimmy, a devoted family man, would leave his wife, daughter and son. Some think that Hoffa =...was planningjon testifying against top Wednesday, October 16,1991" clals “suspected of recelving backs ‘paid out of the union's fund, Eliminating a witness pill his guts, is a time honored mob practice, |” : Most“ ico, probable’ of all the theories alludes ‘to‘Jimmy as a major threat to ,once again'becomo president. of the Teamsters Union. ‘It must be remem- ‘ bered that hundreds of thousands of truckers. owed thelr, increased payche- ly had been instrumental in achiev- ig those increases, Many revered tho gues to Hoffa, who almost’ singlehan- An man, When Jimmy was paroled from prison, one of the conditions of his parole for- bade him from any participation in union activities. Jimmy was legally fighting to have this condition set aside, It was an open secret that he planned to run for the presidency In 1976. This was considered a direct threat to many peo- tc, The current president, Fitzsimmons, iad delegated power to 15 vice presi- dents. This was in direct contrast to Hoffa's style. Jimmy had. always insisted on total control. en there was the Mafia Itself, They had gentlemen's with the union during Jimmy's tenure in : prison, Would all this change if Jimmy was successful in regaining the presi- lency? Jimmy Hoffa's adopted son, Chuckie O'Bricn, came under close examination. It has been rumored that O'Brien had joined the Fitzsimmons campwhile Hoffa was In jail, and stood to lose should Jimmy. once again become Teamster president. O'Brien, who fell out of sight a short while after his father's disap- pearance, had an alibi for the afternoon of Jimmy's abduction, He claims that he borrowed Tony Jack Glacalone’s son Joseph’s car to deliver a salmon to a union official at the time in question. fhe ie have not been able to disprove is. alibi, What happened to Hoffa’s body? The FBI tells me they still receive tips pin- pointing Jimmy's last resting place. Some say he was dumped in a Florida swamp. Others claim to have watched him being buried beside the end zone in Giant Stadium after having been tran- sported from Michigan, Still others believe that Jimmy's body was ground up and incinerated in a Mafia-owned operation in New Jersey, The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa leaves many questions unanswi . "- haps we will never know the details sur- rounding his death, Ladies Auxiliary to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #170