Yes, you are! And you're perfectly right (so I was wrong )! I have reflected a bit yesterday about this problem... My conclusions are that, actually, that kiss is absolutely NOT a "kiss of death". In fact, Fredo NEVER suspected that he would have been killed... You can notice that Michael NEVER tells him that he would hurt him... The "most terrible" words he says to his brother are: "Fredo, you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother, you're not a friend, I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you at the hotels. I don't want you near my house. When you see our mother I want to know a day in advance, so I won't be there."

If that kiss had been a "kiss of death", Fredo would have known from the beginning that he was a dead man, and he would never have had the courage to ask Michael forgiveness (well, we know it's Connie who asks Michael, but that's the same). Fredo couldn't just imagine Michael would have killed him. That's why he is so relaxed when he fishes on the Tahoe Lake.

Anthropologists think that the origin of the kiss is the fact than the mothers of our ancestors chewed the food before they gave their children, with their mouth. So, the kiss is something extremely intimate, something to do with people you completely trust, also with sexual connections. It's a sign of supreme confidence, more than respect. That's why I can't believe the meaning of that kiss is a death sentence, it doesn't make sense to me.

I hope I've been clear.