Every Lead Is a Promise

Almost three weeks after the disappearance of onetime Teamster Boss Jimmy Hoffa, the mystery appeared no closer to being solved. "We have no information on the whereabouts of Mr. Hoffa, whether he is living or dead," said Jay Bailey, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Detroit. "We don't know if his disappearance was voluntary or otherwise. Every lead is a promise, and we're getting them by the hundreds. But there is nothing we can consider promising at this moment."

As each day passed, it grew ever more unlikely that Hoffa had been kidnaped for ransom or had vanished of his own accord. It seemed increasingly certain he was dead and would never be found--like countless Mafia victims before him. Hoffa had been warned by St. Louis Teamsters that he might be murdered if he continued to try to regain control of the union. But cocky as always, he had not taken any precautions to guard himself. In one last chat with a friend, he declared: "Everybody knows where I am. I never had bodyguards and I always drive myself. If anybody wants to get me, they know where I am."

Continued Vigil. Outwardly, law enforcement agents remained optimistic about solving the case. They hoped that the huge $275,000 reward would persuade somebody involved in the plot to talk. The investigation will be intensified this week or next when subpoenas are issued for grand jury appearances. Reportedly among those to be questioned are a pair closely associated with the Mafia: Anthony Giacalone and Anthony Provenzano, who were supposed to meet with Hoffa at the Machus Red Fox Restaurant on the day he disappeared. U.S. Attorney Ralph Guy Jr. is hopeful that the threat of contempt citations will force the mobsters to divulge at least part of what they know.

While teamster officials met in Boston (see ECONOMY & BUSINESS) the vigil continued at the three-acre Hoffa compound north of Detroit. Burly Teamsters patrolled the grounds; an antenna on the roof signaled the presence of FBI agents within the two-story white frame house. Hoffa's wife Josephine occasionally walked the family's German shepherd. For the first time since her husband's disappearance, she left the compound briefly in the company of her son James. Young Hoffa continued to meet a dwindling band of reporters. He added an intriguing new ingredient to the case when he said he had discovered an eyewitness to his father's abduction. "We think we're going to find a successful solution to this crime," he said. But the FBI did not believe the story. Agents are reported to have given the supposed eyewitness two polygraph tests, both of which indicated that he was lying.

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