...also, heres some additional info regarding the Havana meeting...i also think the year should be 1946 instead of 1947, meaning whoever made the report almost 15 years later or in 1961 made an honest mistake...

2 million in 1946 seems too much money $1,000,000 in 1950 has the same purchasing power as $12,482,987.55 today. Why would Chicago give Luciano so much money?

IF the situation really occurred, then I think that all of that cash wasnt for Luciano personally, but instead I believe that it was more regarding Chicago's investment in Havana casinos and other joints (and also for Batista) , mainly because Luciano/Genovese associate Meyer Lansky was the leading guy in that same operation, followed by Trafficante Sr. who in turn was allegedly also present at that same gathering. Who knows, maybe all of that cash was gathered from other families too?! Also maybe one part of that cash was for Lucky as a "farewell present" from the Chi boys, after all the Luciano/Genovese and the Chicago families were "first cousins", meaning they were in alliance since day one. For example when Ricca went to jail in 1943, besides the Chicago guys, one of the main players who was also involved in Riccas early release was allegedly Frank Costello who in turn used his own political connections, so maybe similar type of respect happened in Havana too....

I agree, it wasn't all for him, if it occurred.

As for the "where was the Camorra" question, looking at how powerful and sophisticated the Camorra has become recently, that didn't happen overnight. It took decades. I can't imagine the Camorra not being a factor in Naples in the 1950s and 60s.

Rome
Summer 1957 Joseph Bonanno arrives on Rome’s airport and get welcomed by Italy’s minister of foreign Affairs Bernardo Mattarella.

Bonanno in Rome’s Excelsior Hotel
10 october 1957 Bonanno was observed at the Excelsior Hotel in Rome and various nightclubs in Rome, in his company were 4 unidentified men.

Palermo meeting in Albergo delle Palmo (Hotel Des Palmes)
10 october 1957 arrived the biggest delegation ever of american mobsters to visit Sicily they stay in Palermo's Hotel Des Palmes also known as the Hotel Delle Palme it is the most famous hotel of palermo.

Palermo's Spano Restaurant
12 Octobre 1957 Bonanno is a guest of Luciano in Spano Restaurant in Palermo at a party which is also attended by Tommaso Buscetta, Carmine Galante, Salvatore "cicchiteddu" Greco, Gaetano Badalamenti, Angelo and Salvatore La Barbera.

Philip Brucola visits Luciano and Adonis
Philip Brucola visited in 1957 in Italy Charles Lucky Luciano and Joseph Doto Adonis.

Bonanno at Compani Airport
13 october 1957 Bonanno was observed with the other 4 unidentified men at the Compani Airport.

Palermo meeting in Albergo delle Palmo (Hotel Des Palmes)
14 Octobre 1957 Bonanno also attends a meeting at hotel “Des Palmes”, in Palermo accompanied by his underboss Carmine Galante and the americans John Bonventre, Frank Garofalo, John Priziola from Detroit, Santo Sorge (originally from Mussomeli and Genco Russo’s nephew), Vito Vitale (from Detroit), John Di Bella (originally from Montelepre), Antonio, Giuseppe and Gaspare Magaddino. From Sicily there are Giuseppe Genco Russo (boss of Mussomeli), Salvatore " cicchiteddu" Greco, Cesare Manzella and the Badalamenti brothers from Cinisi, Calcedonia Di Pisa, Gioacchino Pennino, Rosario Mancino, Filippo and Vincenzo Rimi (Alcamo), Antonio Minore (Trapani), "Mimi" La Fatta, Nicola Gentile (Siculiana and US deportee), Luciano Liggio (Corleone), Frank Coppola (Partinico and US deportee), Diego Plaia (Castellammare), Salvatore and Angelo La Barbera (Palermo Central). Luciano and Bonanno get the Sicilians so far they start La Cupola in Palermo with the American Commission as example. La Cupola gets presided by Salvatore "cicchiteddu" greco.

It was a time of changes within the US mob, meaning as I previously said Costello probably became official on that same meeting and there were also problems around the midwest at the time, especially in Chicago, and at the same time they were heavily invading both Cuba and Las Vegas. I know that some researchers will say that the US mob had ops or interests in Cuba since the 1920's and they are not far from the truth, BUT by the 1940s the situation became both quite serious and lucratuve at the same time.

Bernardo Mattarella was the father of Piersanti and Sergio Mattarella, who both went on to become important politicians in their own right; Sergio has been the President of the Italian Republic since 3 February 2015, and Piersanti was President of the Regional Government of Sicily prior to being assassinated in 1980 by Cosa Nostra.

Very powerful men in those days. Antonio Esposito (left) and Pasquale Simonetti (right)



Simonetti is often claimed to have slapped Lucky Luciano in the face at the race track of Agnano; however, the actual perpetrator was Francesco Pirozzi, one of the men of Camorra boss Alfredo Maisto.

Esposito ordered the murder of Simonetti in 1955, as revenge his wife Pupetta Maresca drove to Naples with her younger brother, Ciro. When they met Esposito, she reached into her handbag and pulled out a Smith & Wesson .38. Holding it with both hands ("I was afraid I would miss", she explained later), she opened fire, firing 29 bullets and killing Esposito in broad daylight.

I think that our forum member @Dwalin and also another poster known as @Motorfab (French) who has his own blog, made some good research on the whole Luciano-Corsican connection and according to the FBN at the time, Luciano was allegedly just a "middle man" or just one of the "connection guys" in the whole narcotics conspiracy, besides having his own dope peddling schemes and personal connections.

Also heres some additional info...

I'm sure that was the case TD. The French underworld had many many "connections" for both the "in" and the "out" for their drugs. The Luciano mob, and by extension, the U.S. Italian mob (although admittedly major outlets for them,) was nonetheless, just several distribution customers the Marseilles and Corsicans dealt with. They distributed across the world.

I completely agree.

Lucky, the secret US agent lol, played a big role in the French Connection drug smuggling ring.

If you ask me the main guys were like Detriot's Frank Coppola who had connections to Sicilian dope peddlers such as Ugo Caneba who in turn had some major contacts to Corsican drug traffickers with laboratories in Marseilles such as the Arnaci brothers. Large quantities of opium or morphine were diverted into heroin in the Schapparelli Pharmaceutical Co., in which Luciano was also a partner.

Yep Coppola "three fingers" was one of the biggest players.

Now this a thread that reminds me of the old days!

Haha !

Don't forget Sinatra and Luciano were both from Lercara Friddi (Palermo province).

Luciano had a special bond with the Jews throughout his life.

Heres some additional info regarding Lucky and the situation with Masseria and Maranzano...





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That's interesting information. I've never heard of 30-40 leaders of the old mafia being killed after Maranzano. Good stuff TD. Thank you.

You're welcome bud.

Theres no credibility of that "30 to 40 leaders being killed" statement, but I can tell you the two most important things to remember is that after 1931 the "boss of bosses" position was nixed as official spot but in terms of power it was another story, and also regarding the existence of two factions the "greaseballs" and the "Americanized" guys. Also, "Toto Loverti" who was involved in the Masseria hit, was in fact Salvatore "Toto" Loverde who in turn was representative for the Chicago Mafia in 1930 but was killed that same year and so Capone became the new official Chicago boss and was also recognized by Maranzano.

Who killed Loverde?

I believe the ties between Genovese family and the Outfit goes even back to the Five Points gang.

Loverde was killed probably on Capone's orders. He was killed in November I think in 1930, in the Cicero area and also the same day when Ralph Capone (Cicero rep) was sentenced to jail.



Thats probably right.

...also heres some additional info regarding Loverde besides being the official rep, still Capone was considered the real power...

Love the FBI documents TD, many thanks for sharing them

Again, you're always welcome bud

Interesting to note or in other words, what we can learn from the situation regarding Loverde and Capone is that even though Loverde was considered the official rep for the Chi family in 1930, STILL or by the end of the day Capone was considered the real power. This info comes from Nick Gentile, old time member of the Mafia and also former representative whose life was once saved by Capone himself. So my point is that in some cases even though some member held the official spot, still there was someone more powerful then him and had all of the respect. In one of the previous threads we talked about the boss of bosses position being officially nixed after 1931, BUT in terms of power there was always someone during certain time periods who was more powerful then the rest of the reps on the commission and controlled most of the votes in his own favour. Sometimes there were alliances of two or three bosses who controlled the whole commission etc.

How was Loverde involved in the Masseria hit if he was killed in 1930?