the krays--8/24/26

24 Aug 2026

the krays--8/24/26

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Today's selection -- from Mafia by Ryan Gingeras. Reputed to be London’s toughest gangsters, the twins Ronald and Reginald Kray dominated its post-World War II crime scene:

"The Axis surrender of 1945 marked the beginning of a global renaissance within the history of mafias. Pre-war mafias in Asia and Europe regained their strength and acquired greater vitality with the establishment of new governments and regimes. The rapid growth of the United States and other First World economies created tantalizing marketplaces for all sorts of illicit wares and services. Cold War politics amplified mafias' political and social power, and the general public in various countries discovered these truths in striking ways, leading to both scandal and disillusionment. Mafias, more than ever, became a problem transcending continental and cultural divisions.

“As leaders of the free world, American officials looked upon this trend with worry. Growing concerns after 1945 pushed Washington to invest large amounts of money and attention in combating organized crime at home and abroad. Official efforts to raise popular awareness of this crusade arguably constitute the most important legacy of this endeavor. Through a series of televised hearings and testimonials, officials in Washington appeared to pull back the curtain on a secret world defined by corruption, violence, and intrigue. As the public's interest peaked, Hollywood distilled these revelations in a way that cemented their significance for all time. The Godfather's release in 1971 saw to it that audiences everywhere came to know what mafias were and how they appeared to wield power. Greater numbers of people soon saw fraternities across the world as iterations of the same phenomenon. As a consequence, many languages adopted the words ‘mafia’ and ‘godfather.’

“Ironically, it was at this moment that many of the oldest mafias began to weaken in critical ways. The growing effectiveness of law enforcement hastened their decline. Yet as old godfathers were sent to prison, the universe of mafias continued to grow and diversify. Two dramatic economic developments were responsible: the end of the Second World War and the rapid expansion of the cocaine industry. Both heightened public awareness of an ever-growing list of new and exotic mafias. For observers and critics at the end of the twentieth century, the end of the Cold War and the rise of Latin America's cartels and the new mafias of Eastern Europe heralded a far deadlier phase.

Reggie (left) and Ronnie Kray, photographed

“Twins Ronald and Reginald Kray arose from anonymity in the shadow of London's post-war recovery. As the sons of a rag picker, Ronnie and Reg possessed an earthy authenticity that spoke to their early careers as amateur East End boxers. Their path to notoriety was conventional for aspiring gangsters in the mid-1950s. They took over nightclubs, profited from extortion, and dabbled in random criminal schemes. Fame found them as they began to strike it rich. Their main haunts in the West End brought in movie stars and professional athletes, as well as politicians and artists. Newspapers caught on to the Krays by the early 1960s and transformed them into household names. The celebrities they later claimed to have met or partied with included The Beatles, Joe Louis, Frank Sinatra, Sonny Liston, and Judy Garland. The brothers basked in this publicity and were unafraid to let their love of the limelight show.

“It was their renown as London's preeminent hard men that brought Ronnie Kray to New York in the early part of 1966. After he arrived at Kennedy Airport, a car brought him to a house in Red Hook, close to the Brooklyn docks. The residence belonged to Joe Gallo and his brothers, arguably the most feared members of New York's Profaci crime family. The early stages of the meeting were awkward. As he awaited his host, a brother of one of the Profaci members, ‘an evil-looking midget,’ hovered menacingly behind him. None of this scared Ron. He was, as he remembered it, decidedly starstruck. ‘The atmosphere was electric,’ he later revealed. ‘I suddenly knew I was in the big league, and I'd better make out a good case for being here, otherwise these bastards were liable to chop my balls off.’ His patience and fortitude paid off after he elicited a potential deal. Members of the American Mafia were laying claim to casinos in London. What they wanted were local partners to help care for ‘big-time American gamblers’ coming over to Britain from Las Vegas. Other deals appeared in the offing if their relationship continued. But the outbreak of violent feuds with their South London rivals, the Richardsons, got the better of them. Ron was the first to land in prison in 1969 after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering a man before a slew of witnesses in an East End pub. Reggie followed him months later after he butchered another man with a kitchen knife. In their old age, they both confessed to being less professional than their counterparts across the Atlantic. One of their biggest mistakes, Reg lamented, was that they had taken the lives of others. ‘A Mafia boss would never kill–he'd always get one of his button men to do it for him. [Philadelphia boss] Angelo Bruno once said to us, "Never get shit on your own hands." And he was right.’

“Ronnie and Reg did lord over London's underworld, albeit briefly. But unlike the Profaci family, or Angelo Bruno's crews in Philadelphia, their ‘firm’ of gangsters dissolved once they went to prison. What made the Krays significant was their star power. For the British press, and seemingly for many celebrities, the twins were the closest thing to a homegrown mafia that Britain in the Swinging Sixties had to offer. Even though their exploits inspired several cinematic tributes, close observers of their time tended to downplay their impact. ‘Neither the Krays nor the Richardsons, for all their crimes, ever really came near to the Chicago mobsters they both tried to emulate,’ as one journalist noted in 1970. Just how interested the American Mafia was in forming a relationship with the Krays was up for debate. Without much of a drug scene, and a rather robust national gaming board overseeing British gambling establishments, it seemed the American Mafia ‘never thought it worth their while’ to set up shop in London.”