Links to Valachi's The Real Thing pages
Links to the Entry Page and Parts 1 through 4 of Joseph Valachi's The Real Thing are provided above. Below are the contents of the U.S. National Archives Deed of Gift and Donor File associated with the 1980 donation of Joseph Valachi's manuscript, The Real Thing, to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library by The Valachi Papers author Peter Maas (1929-2001). These documents, which put the donation in context and reveal the donor's intent, were released by National Archives following our formal request of July 2019. We appreciate the cooperation of the John F. Kennedy Library and the National Archives in releasing these documents to the public.
Peter Maas
Deed of Gift - 1
Gifts of Papers and Other Historical Materials
of
PETER MAAS
to the
JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY
1. In accordance with the provisions of chapter 21 of title 44, United States Code, and subject to the terms, conditions, and restrictions hereinafter set forth, I, PETER MAAS (hereinafter referred to as the Donor), hereby give, donate, and convey to the United States of America, for eventual deposit in the JOHN F. KENNEDY Library, my papers and other historical materials (hereinafter referred to as the Materials) which are described in Appendix A, attached hereto.
2. Title to the Materials shall pass to the United States of America upon their delivery to the Archivist of the United States or his delegate (hereinafter referred to as the Archivist).
3. Following delivery, the Materials shall be maintained by the United States of America in the JOHN F. KENNEDY Library, administered by the National Archives and Records Service of the General Services Administration in accordance with the pertinent provisions of chapter 21 of title 44, United States Code, and provided that at any time after delivery and subject to the provisions of paragraph 5, the Donor shall be permitted freely to examine any of the Materials during the regular working hours of the depository where they are preserved.
4. Is is the Donor's wish that the Materials be made available for research as soon as possible, and to the fullest extent possible, following their deposit in the JOHN F. KENNEDY Library. At the same time, he recognizes that the Materials may include information about others the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy and information the protection of which is essential to the Nation's security. Accordingly, the Archivist shall have the materials reviewed and for the present shall place under seal the following classes of material:
Deed of Gift - 2
(a) Papers and other historical materials the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy or a libel of a living person.
(b) Papers and other historical materials that are specifically authorized under criteria established by statute or Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy, and are in fact properly classified pursuant to such statute or Executive order.
5. Following the completion of the review provided for above, material placed under seal shall not be made available for inspection, reading, or use by anyone, except regular employees of the National Archives and Records Service in the performance of normal archival work on such materials, and the Donor, or persons authorized by him in writing to have access to such materials; provided that information which is security-classified pursuant to statute or Executive order shall be made available only in accordance with procedures established to govern the availability of such information.
6. Materials which have been placed under seal as herein provided shall be reviewed by the Archivist from time to time and the seal removed from any papers which, because of the passage of time or other circumstances, no longer require such restriction.
7. Subject to the restrictions imposed herein, the Archivist may dispose of any of the Materials which he determines to have no permanent value or historical interest, provided that prior to any such disposal reasonable efforts are made to notify the Donor and offer return of the materials.
8. The Donor hereby gives and assigns to the United States of America all copyrights which he has in (a) such of the Materials as are unpublished and (b) in such of his unpublished writings as may be among any collections of papers received by the United States of America from others and deposited in any depository administered by any agency of the United States of America.
9. The Archivist may enter into agreements for the temporary deposit of the Materials under his custody and control in a depository administered by the National Archives and Records Service of the General Services Administration or other qualified depository.
Deed of Gift - 3
10. In the event that the Donor may from time to time hereafter give, donate, and convey to the United States of America, for deposit in the JOHN F. KENNEDY Library, additional papers and other historical materials, title to such additional papers and other historical materials shall pass to the United States of America upon their delivery to the Archivist, and all of the foregoing provisions of this instrument of gift shall be applicable to such additional papers and other historical materials. A description of the additional papers and other historical materials so donated and delivered shall be prepared and attached hereto.
Signed: Peter Maas
Peter Maas
Date: Dec. 24, 1980
Pursuant to the authority of chapter 21 of title 44, United States Code, the foregoing gift of the papers and other historical materials of the Donor is accepted on behalf of the United States of America, subject to the terms, conditions, and restrictions heretofore set forth.
Robert M. Warner
Archivist of the United States
Date: Dec. 31, 1980
Deed of Gift - 4
APPENDIX A
(Attached to and forming part of instrument of gift of papers and other historical materials, executed by PETER MAAS, Donor, on December 30th 1980 and accepted by the Archivist of the United States on December , 1980).
PETER MAAS, on this Date, December 30th 1980, donates the following items to the JOHN F. KENNEDY Library:
- one (1) handwritten manuscript of Joseph Valachi, entitled "The Real Thing" consisting of one thousand and seventy-five (1,075) pages;
- one (1) typed manuscript of Joseph Valachi, entitled "The Real Thing", consisting of eleven hundred and eighty (1,180) pages;
- Twenty-three (23) letters and notes, totaling twenty-nine (29) pages from Joseph Valachi to Peter Maas;
- one (1) seven page monograph of Joseph Valachi.
Deed of Gift - 5
APPENDIX A
(Attached to and forming part of instrument of gift of papers and other historical materials, executed by PETER MAAS, Donor, on December 30th, 1980 and accepted by the Archivist of the United States on December , 1980).
PETER MAAS, on this Date, December 30th, 1980, donates the following items to the JOHN F. KENNEDY Library:
- one (1) handwritten manuscript of Joseph Valachi, entitled "The Real Thing" consisting of one thousand and seventy-five (1,075) pages;
- one (1) typed manuscript of Joseph Valachi, entitled "The Real Thing", consisting of eleven hundred and eighty (1,180) pages;
- Twenty-three (23) letters and notes, totaling twenty-nine (29) pages from Joseph Valachi to Peter Maas; ***
- one (1) seven page monograph of Joseph Valachi. ****
Signed: Peter Maas
Peter Maas
Date: Dec. 24, 1980
*** There are 16 holograph letters, 22 leaves, dating from May 8, 1966 to September 19, 1969; 1 postcard; and 6 greeting cards.
**** Page one of the monograph is presently missing, but Mr. Maas will send it to the Library in the near future.
I received the above items from Attorney Frank Piccolo on Tuesday, December 30, 1980 on behalf of the John F. Kennedy Library
Henry J. Gwiazda II, Ph.D.
Henry J. Gwiazda II, Ph.D.
Curator, Robert F. Kennedy Collection
Deed of Gift - 6-9
Pages 6 through 9 of this document appear to be copies of Pages 1 through 4, though Page 6 contains a handwritten note: "This was an office copy of the deed brought by Frank Piccolo and already signed by Maas. N.B. my notes on another version of Appendix A on what NLK actually received."
Deed of Gift - 10-13
Pages 10 through 13 appear to be multiple copies of the following:
Signed: Peter Maas
Date: Dec. 24, 1980
Pursuant to the authority of chapter 21 of title 44, United States Code, the foreging gift of papers and other historical materials of the Donor is accepted on behalf of the United States of America, subject to the terms, conditions, and restrictions heretofore set forth.
Archivist of the United States
Date
[Download a PDF of the entire Deed of Gift document]
Donor File - 1
December 30, 1980
MEMORANDUM
To: Robert Warner & Maygene Daniels
From: Henry Gwiazda
Re: Gift of Papers of Peter Maas
I am enclosing the original deed and two copies for a gift of papers of Peter Maas to the John F. Kennedy Library. See Appendix A for an itemized list of the documents. The donor signed the deed on December 24, 1980 prior to leaving on a trip, and his attorney dated the appendix December 30, 1980 upon delivery of the papers to the Library.
Maas is donating to the National Archives various papers: he acquired while writing The Valachi Papers (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968). Joseph Valachi wrote the holograph manuscript entitled The Real Thing: The Expose and Inside Doings of Cosa Nostra and entered into an agreement with Maas to edit and publish the manuscript. Valachi ultimately received $75,000.00 as his share of the royalties from The Valachi Papers.
Valachi died in 1971. He had a will, and his estate went through the normal probate procedures. According to Maas' sttorney, no question from Valachi's heirs about the rights to the manuscript or copyright arose during the settlement of the estate. Maas, therefore, has had the manuscript and accompanying transcript since 1965 without anyone questioning his right to the material.
I have reiterated our desire to have further documentation from Maas on the matters of title and copyright. His attorney will seek additional material from Maas to clarify these points when Maas returns to the country in January, 1981. At this time the attorney would like to conclude transfer of the materials to the National Archives by December 31, 1980.
Maas has many other papers of historical value that he is considering depositing in the Library as subsequent additions to this gift.
If any questions arise, I shall be in my office throughout Wednesday, December 31, 1980, and can be reached at 617-929-4539.