Originally posted by Debra:
.....in that meeting,Don Corleon agreed almost to the same deal Sollozo was offering.Only now,hes accepting the offer a little too late,after getting shot at..and a long time for recovering, and after the loss of his son,Sonny.
It could have been avoided if he took the offer the first time.
Don Corleone only agreed to make the deal at this meeting because he knew that it had to be done in order to insure that he could get Michael home safely! All the while knowing that if he could succeed in getting Michael home safely, revenge could be taken later on down the road. In so many words he tells the heads of the families at that meeting that if he agrees to make the peace and give the families what they want, the condition is that they all must agree that NOTHING could happen to Michael. He basically threatens them all in his speach! Remember, Vito is the one who calls for the meeting. It is obvious that once Michael was home safely, him and Vito planned out their revenge and the attempt to regain the power that The COrleone's once held.
Don Cardi