Public-domain ebook
Washington Confidential
Language: en11,015 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery·Politics·Journalism/Media/Writing
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #63469.
About this book
Washington Confidential is a gritty exposé that treats the nation’s capital as a crime‑infested back‑alley rather than a dignified seat of power. The co‑authors, veteran newspaper men Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer, launch the work with a swaggering promise to “X‑ray” Washington’s alleys, cat‑houses, courts and clubs, claiming they have uncovered more vice, corruption and municipal decay than any previous muckraker. Their opening salvo frames the city as a paradoxical “utopia” turned “cesspool,” populated by government‑dependent parasites, organized rackets and a populace that, despite its high per‑capita income, lives amid rampant drunkenness, prostitution and graft. By positioning themselves as hard‑nosed reporters rather than reformers, Lait and Mortimer set a tone of unapologetic, first‑hand reportage that promises a raw, unvarnished portrait of a place most outsiders never truly see.
The book’s voice is blunt, colloquial and steeped in the sensationalist style of 1930s‑40s newspaper journalism. Its prose crackles with sarcasm and vivid street‑level detail, reflecting an era when investigative reporters roamed cities with a notebook and a disdain for polite euphemism. Readers who relish hard‑boiled urban chronicles, historic investigations of political corruption, or the same raucous energy that powered Lait and Mortimer’s earlier New York and Chicago volumes will find this work compelling. It appeals especially to those interested in the social history of Washington, D.C., and to fans of unapologetically candid, period‑specific reportage.
Who appears in Washington Confidential
- Jack LaitMiddle‑aged man in 1930s suit, fedora, crisp shirt, sharp eyes, notebook in hand
- Lee MortimerLean journalist, early‑40s attire, trench coat, tie, pipe, determined expression
The opening · free to read
1. DISTRICT OF CONFUSION 1 Washington’s whys and wherefores, guaranteed to mystify, amaze and amuse.
2. “GORGEOUS” GEORGETOWN 8 No relation to the wrestler, only sometimes he makes more sense than the rich big domes and fancy queers who reside in this made-to-order Greenwich Village.
3. NW COULD MEAN NOWHERE 12 North West is the only section of Washington which counts. On the other hand, what is there in it you won’t find in Denver, Detroit or Dubuque, except the White House?
4. NOT-SO-TENDER TENDERLOIN 21 Where the hustlers hustle.
5. HOBOS WITH NO HORIZONS 30 They can’t vote the bums in Washington’s flophouses, otherwise these skidrows are like your home-town Bowery, except there are three.
6. GREEN PASTURES 34 Here the poor, downtrodden colored folk are not equal, they’re superior. And there are more of them. This is a Negro Heaven.
7. MIGHTY LIKE A ROSE 46 Where the blackest crimes are hatched.
8. CHINATOWN CHIPPIES 56 Washington’s Chinatown offers inducements other than Chop Suey and Chow Mein.
9. THE OVERFLOW 62 A. The Free State--where anything goes for a price. B. The Policy of the Old Dominion is policy.
10. UNCLE SAM: LANDLORD 70 The government owns 40% of the land. Read this and find out what happens on it.
Part Two--THE PEOPLE (Confidential!)
11. THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A DAME 74 You can say that again about those in Washington.
12. G-GIRLS 77 They come in two grades: A. Government Gals--they’re many and not so glamorous. B. Glamour Gals--they’re few and not so glamorous.
13. COMPANY GALS 83 Being a dissertation on a specialty known only to Washington and how one finds same.
14. FOR IMMORAL PURPOSES 86 The capital was made for lupos. An elucidation on how one goes about being one.
15. GARDEN OF PANSIES 90 The hand-on-hip set wins the battle of Washington.
16. THE LITTLE RED HERRINGS 99 Agrarian reformers--that’s what the bright State Department lads call them, in other countries. We call those in Washington traitors.
17. KICKING THE GONG AROUND 107 When we speak of hopheads, we don’t mean Congressmen.
18. THE YOUNG IN HEART 118 Until we read this book we liked children. In Washington the little dears are devils.
19. BOOZE AND BOTTLES 123 Washingtonians imbibe three times as much as you. Where they get it, how and why, with pointers on what to do with your hollow leg.
20. CAFE AU CORN 131 That’s Washington’s Cafe Society.
21. CALL ME MADAME 134 With apologies to Irv Berlin. Being the story of the Social Climbers who climbed in when SOCIETY climbed out.
22. STRIPED PANTS 144 Elsewhere men who wear ’em bury the dead; in Washington most who wear them are dead but not buried. That’s the sad tale of what happened to the once oh, so gay diplomatic corps.
23. LOBBYIST’S LICENSE--THE RIGHT TO PETITION 155 The population consists of so many five percenters, lobbyists, fixers, lawyers, press agents and men from Missouri, you’d think everyone was taking advantage of the Constitutional guarantee.
24. RACKETS BY REMOTE CONTROL 171 Washington’s underworld is operated by local overseers for absentee landlords. This is how the system works.
25. WHO’S WHO IN MOBOCRACY 177 The Blue Book of the silk-lined aristocracy who own the works.
26. THE TERROR FROM TENNESSEE 194 Estes in Plunderland.
27. LUCKY NUMBERS 206 After all, politics is a gamble, so why shouldn’t the citizens do it too?
28. IT’S A CRIME 213 Murder and mayhem, rape and robbery are pastimes in Washington. Jail? Don’t be naïve.
29. THE LAW 220 The poor, underpaid coppers, who try to enforce it.
30. HOW TO STAY OUT OF JAIL 229 Hire the right lawyer and bondsman. This will name him.
31. THE BOSSES 234 They’re responsible for the works working. Maybe that’s why they don’t.
32. THE MONARCHS OF THE METROPOLIS 240 The “Honorable” members of Congress.
33. WIRETAPPERS, SNOOPS AND SPIES 245 The only thing they can’t tap is sign language.
Part Three--THE ESCAPE (Confidential!)
34. THE TUESDAY TO THURSDAY SET 254 Where shall we go? Anywhere, but most head north to New York, Philly and Atlantic City.
35. BALTIMORE CONFIDENTIAL 258 Baltimore is less than an hour away, but what a difference! You’ll find things here they never heard of even in Chicago.
Part Four--THE LOWDOWN (Confidential!)
36. INSIDE STUFF 276 What they don’t teach you in school.
37. TIPS ON THE TOWNS 281 Advice for the visitor with much that’s unknown to the natives.
The book keeps going
Keep reading, and see it illustrated
Reading is free forever. Sign up and watch scenes appear while you read.
Scenes Storieta drew for other classics.
