Throughout the twentieth century, few names loomed as large in the business and financial worlds as John Paul Getty. Once the richest man in the world, Getty made his fortune in the oil industry and an avid art collector, with a massive collection that served as a basis for the Getty Museum, the wealthiest museum in the world.

Getty’s wealth and business acumen made him a household name well beyond his death in 1976; however, that same wealth and notoriety made him a target for con artists and other criminals. Among those who sought to extort the Getty family, no attempt was more incredible and sensational than the kidnapping of Getty’s favorite grandchild, J. Paul Getty III, by an Italian crime syndicate in 1973.

At first, the scion of the Getty family refused to negotiate with kidnappers, arguing that, if he paid the money, they would only kidnap other members of this family. But Getty reconsidered his position just a few weeks later, when his grandson’s ear arrived in the mail, with the promise of other body parts, should he not comply with their demands.

References

Associated Press. 1973. "Getty kidnapers spurn offer of $430,000 ransom as 'paltry'." Buffalo Nerws (Buffalo, NY), August 3: 2.

—. 1973. "Getty's mother awaits word from kidnapers on ransom." Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY), July 18: 3.

—. 1973. "Grandson of Getty missing." Los Angeles Times, July 13: 9.

—. 1974. "Italy arrests 3, seeks 4th in Getty kidnapping ." New York Times, Janaury 17: 14.

Miller, Julie. 2017. "What All the Money in the World gets right (and wrong) about the Getty kidnapping." Vanity Fair, December 25.

New York Times. 1976. "2 Getty kidnappers sentenced in Italy." New York Times, January 30: 10.

—. 1973. "Roman police report a threat to sever a finger of Getty boy." New York Times, July 20: 2.

Norman, Judith. 2013. "His favorite wife: A memoir looks back on the life of the fifth and final Mrs. Getty." New York Times, September 1: 10.

Pearson, John. 1995. Painfully Rich: J. Paul Getty and His Heirs. London, UK: Macmillan.

Reuters. 1973. "Ransom is offered for Paul Getty, 17, his father reports." New York Times, November 18: 8.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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Painfully rich

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