“These hearings on the Mafia are in no way whatsoever a slur upon the great Italian people. Because I can state, from my own knowledge and experience, that Italian-Americans are among the most loyal, most law-abiding, patriotic, hard working American citizens in this land. And it would be a shame, Mr. Chairman, if we allowed a few rotten apples to bring a bad name to the whole barrel. Because from the time of the great Christopher Columbus up through the time of Enrico Fermi right up to the present day, Italian-Americans have been pioneers in building and defending our great nation. They are the soil of the earth and one of the backbones of this country.”
