Originally posted by Krlea:
As far as Vito keeping things from Tom, I don't think that means he had reservations about Tom's readiness for bloodshead. Vito asked Luca to talk, not to kill anyone right away. I always felt that Vito spoke to Luca directly out of respect for Luca coming to him on Connie's wedding day. Also, why would Vito trust Tom with so many other important issues, but not ones specifically about killings? Maybe I don't understand what you are saying, but I just don't buy that Vito would make Tom a consigliere and actually try to keep murder away from him. It's not realistic. If anything he kept things away from his children to protect them, but I dont see how he did this with Tom.
Tom was basically the family's lawyer until Genco got sick. He was still "on probation." The Don may have had Luca report to him directly out of tradition, or because Tom hadn't formally been made consigliere yet. Or he may have suspected that Luca wouldn't take orders from Tom (in the novel, he describes Luca as "a natural force, like lightning"). But I think the Don knew that Tom lacked the fundamental Sicilian cunning and ferocity. I agree that he was smart--smater than Sonny, a better businessman--but not a wartime leader. As a lawyer, he'd rather compromise than fight. There's a telling phrase in the novel: after Michael agrees to whack Sollozzo and McCluskey, Tom pours them drinks "...glum, the statesman forced to go to war..."
