Commision/Capone

In the 'Mafia Show' they told something like this:

Luciano set up the commission. The first meeting was with people like Bonnano, Luciano and Capone.

Now the question is: how can Capone, leader of the Outfit, join in a Mafia Commission? As many members here say, the Outfit isn't a Mafia organization.

I think it was because it was a powerful organization with ties to New York families. although I obviously can be wrong.

From Wikipedia I think this says it best:
"By the late 1920s, Luciano became one of the leaders of another mafia family, that of Joe The Boss Masseria, while disagreeing with Masseria's bigoted mistrust of everyone who wasn't Sicilian. Luciano knew from his own experience that the Sicilians were wasting an opportunity to make more profits by shunning associations with other ethnic groups."

I understand your point...but it's still stupid. A Mafia Commission with some members who aren't Mafia??? How can a not-Mafia organization comply to the rules of Mafia? It's possible but not logical.

I think this Commission thing can get out of hand. Sam Decalvacante, who ran the New Jersey mob for a long time, was heard in wiretaps with Joe Bonanno and others referring to the Commission and the other party asking "what commission". Of Course, Bonanno himself refers to the Commission in his autobiography. Still, I think we are imposing our own hierarchial perceptions on the Mafia or Cosa Nostra. From all that we can gather, it is just not that cut and dried. How in the world could a commission consisting of, what, 8, 10, 12, 15 bosses from all over the country get together to sanction hits, etc? It is just not practical. They can't converse by phone since they would probably be tapped. I think the Commission idea gets aggrandized by Mafia watchers and blown out of proportion.

If there is a Commission, I am sure it gets to make its own rules and admit to its membership and conclaves anyone it wants to.

One thing that actually dawned on me while I was on my way home...

The TV program is actually wrong. The as I understand it (from William F. Roemer's book on Chicago Godfather Tony Accardo), "Mafia" is more of an exclusive Sicilian organized crime entity. US organized crime is La Cosa Nostra. (this thing of ours) This nomenclature has been widely misused in the media.

In essence, Masseria and Maranzano were Mafia, but when Luciano did away with them, it became La Cosa Nostra.

Tek, you make a good point. Mafia and Cosa Nostra get used interchangeably. I'm not sure it makes any difference to Mafiosi. Traditional Mafiosi probably would not have admitted non-Sicilians to their ranks. Cosa Nostra apparently does not have any problem admitting non-Sicilian Italians to its ranks. That's a big difference. Since Capone was not Sicilain, technically the pre-existing mafia in Chicago would not have taken him in. But, Capone managed to absorb the Unione Sicilian into his organization's ranks. At least that's what I think happened.

Charlie Luciano, though born in Sicily, was a thoroughly American gangster. As Don Tekky noted, he believed in cooperation with others who weren't Mafia or even Italian. Meyer Lansky was his most trusted adviser, and Dutch Shultz, another Jewish gangster, sat with the Commission. He included Capone because he wanted and needed a way to influence events in Chicago, and Capone was "Mr. Big" in Chicago. After Luciano went to prison and was deported, the Commission lost much of its force and effectiveness. It also became more closed-in--less outreach to non-Mafia types.
As Olivant pointed out, the Commission's role and effectiveness have been greatly exaggerated. The only thing that these guys have in common is greed--and distrust of each other. They meet, at most, every two years, and might, at most, discuss very broad ideas, such as territorial disputes in areas outside their home cities. But the idea that they can order or prevent hits, approve memberships, etc., is wildly exaggerated.

Thx for the responses.

But the mafiosi on Sicily also call their organization cosa nostra, and not mafia. The mafia was named cosa nostra by Maranzano, after he became capo di tutti capi (not sure about that one). And later on, also mafiosi on SIcily began to call there organazation cosa nostra and not mafia.

Actually, there was a meeting held years ago in Palermo attended by the Sicilian dons. Mistakenly, the t-shirts they gave out to the attendees read La Cosa Nostra. It was an honest mistake, but that's why the Dons started refering to their organization as Cosa Nostra. Visiting American dons liked the sound and appearance of it, so they adopted the name also.

By the way, I think Capo di tutti capi is a made up title forged by non-mafia people. While it may translate to boss of all bosses, that's just a literal translation. I'll bet that any such real title if it exists is probably a colloquialism. It's kind of like saying in Italian, Ho fame. That's means I'm hungry. But,if you translate it literally, it means I have hunger.

There was no formal "name change" from "Mafia" to "Cosa Nostra," nor did it signify a change from Sicilians-only to Italians-in-general. "Mafia" is a broad term that non-Mafiosi had given to the crime structure in Sicily. Mafiosi themselves, and people around them, never uttered the word. "Cosa Nostra" was and is a generic term that they used and use to describe their business: "Our thing."
For the record: The original Mafia families in America were all Sicilian, and most or all of the family members were related by blood or came from the same village. But during Prohibition, when business expanded, they recruited non-Sicilians because they needed manpower. Charlie Luciano encouraged openness to others. Frank Costello was a Calabrese. Vito Genovese was a Napolitano. So was Gotti.