Crossing Hoffa

by Harper, Steven J.

• ISBN13: 9780873515801
• ISBN10: 0873515803
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-06-15
• Publisher: Borealis Books

Summary

On a spring day in 1961, over-the-road trucker Jim Harper was en route from Mauston, Wisconsin, to his home in Minneapolis. At 70 miles per hour, with a combined 60,000 pounds of man, machine, and material, he approached a curve along the Great River Road and hit the brakes. The tractor-trailer didn't slow. Harper's brake lines had been cut. In preceding months, Harper had led an insurgency in his Teamsters' Local 544 to clean up corruption among its leaders. His efforts drew the attention of none other than Jimmy Hoffa, at the time focused on securing his right to lead the national Teamsters organisation without government intervention. Jim Harper had his reasons for confronting his local's leadership -- a hardscrabble childhood and a stint in Angola prison had left him seeking redemption, and Jimmy Hoffa had publicly called for union reform. But Hoffa, under federal investigation for questionable financial dealings, had deep, dark secrets; the last thing he needed was a spotlight on Minneapolis. Despite the increasing threats to his life and those of his young family, Harper continued to press his case. In this fascinating account, Harper's son traces the interwoven paths of these two men -- a criminal icon and a determined vigilante -- from their formative years through their unbelievable face-off.

Table of Contents

Prologue	p. 3
The Early Years
Flashpoint	p. 13
The Sins of the Father	p. 17
Minneapolis Launches Hoffa's Career	p. 22
Jim Harper's Story Unfolds-And Unravels	p. 25
Angola	p. 31
Leaving Angola and Finding Mary	p. 46
Hoffa's Supporting Players	p. 51
A Tangled Web	p. 56
Collision Course
Harper Joins the Teamsters	p. 65
Hoffa's Ascent-And His Minnesota Connections	p. 73
The Insurgency That Would Not Go Away	p. 79
Hoffa's Biggest Minneapolis Problem	p. 82
Hoffa Feels the Heat and Looks for Help	p. 87
Impact
Harper Helps Hoffa-Or So He Thinks	p. 95
Let the Games Begin	p. 100
Nothing Worthwhile Is Easy	p. 105
On Top of the World	p. 109
Things Fall Apart	p. 115
Federal Visitors	p. 119
Hoffa's Minneapolis Travails	p. 123
The Audit	p. 127
Hoffa Visits Minneapolis, Again	p. 130
Hoffa's Rules of Order	p. 137
The Calm Between the Storms	p. 141
Hoffa Seeks an Oval Office Ally	p. 145
Threats and a Wire	p. 152
Reopened Wounds Start to Bleed	p. 156
Lug Nuts	p. 163
A Dangerous Game	p. 167
The Panel and the Charges	p. 170
Another Drive Down the River Road	p. 174
The Hearing	p. 179
The 1961 International Convention	p. 186
Aftermath
Harper Starts Over, Again	p. 193
Hoffa's Failures	p. 196
Harper's Success	p. 200
Epilogue	p. 203
Notes	p. 219
Sources and References	p. 235
Acknowledgments	p. 239
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