Why would he tell Tom, Michael or anyone in the family for that matter that he was talking with Ola?

Michael, Tom and even Vito for that matter never let him in on the "inside" workings of the business.

He experienced this kind of treatment from Michael in Vegas, where he felt that he was finally doing something on his own, running a casino. And when he tried to show Michael that he was finally successful in something that HE did on his own, what did Michael do? He pissed all over it. Told him to get the girls out of here. Embarressed him in front of Moe Green.

So Fredo probably figured, deep down in his subconscience, that if he went to Tom or Mike, and told them that Ola had made him some kind of an offer that would help the family, they would piss all over it and tell him what to do. He probably figured that they would not have let him do something on his own.

Later on he even tells Michael, when they are in Cuba having a drink, that he wished that they could have done this in the past. He says this because in that scene Michael finally confides in him. Michael treats him as an equal in the business at that moment. It is as though Michael finally let Fredo in on the inner workings of the family business. He showed trust in Fredo. Of course we know what Michael's real motive in doing that was, but Fredo didn't.


Sure Fredo was both embarressed and pissed with Mike for the treatment that he gave him. I don't deny that. And his anger probably played a part in trying to do something on his own with Ola and Roth.

But he never intended to actually be a traitor or to hurt Mike in a physical manner. I think that at the very worst, he was trying to show Mike up. Kind of embarass Mike by showing him that he was capable of doing something on his own. I don't believe that even though he went behind Mike's back and dealt with Ola, that his intention was to be a traitor to Mike.

And Michael should have taken all of this into consideration. Do you know why? Because Fredo was his Brother. A weak brother. A brother that he should have protected and treated a little better.

If it were Rocco or Neri that had dealt with Ola, well then I would say that they did so with the intention of hurting Michael and with the intetion of setting him up. And they would have deserved to die.

But Fredo -- "well" -- (Don Cardi jut shrugs his shoulders in the same manner that Don Vito did when talking to Mike about Fredo).


Side Note : I'll tell you this though. It's been quite a while since we had a really good intelligent discussion about The Godfather. I'm really enjoying this! It's been a long time coming.


Don Cardi