A lot of meaningful stuff is going on in the scene with Michael and Tom right after Michael returns from Havana. It raises several questions, too.
FFC wants us to believe that the scene occurs immediately after Michael’s hasty exit from Cuba. Michael’s wearing the same suit he wore to the New Year’s Eve party. He’s obviously exhausted, traveling continuously, probably with no sleep. Likely the little “private plane” took him from Havana to Miami where, perhaps, he caught one of the new jets (introduced in 1958), either directly to Vegas (he’s at the Desert Inn) or in multiple stops. He could have gotten there from Cuba in 48 hours or less.
He asks Rocco and Neri to step out so he can talk to Tom privately. Obviously FFC staged it that way to prepare for Michael’s “Was it a boy????” outburst—Michael at that stage of his life never would have shown that much emotion in front of R&N. But a lot more’s going on. For example:
1. He asks Tom, “Where’s my brother?” [emphasis added.] The last time we saw them together (after the Tahoe shooting), Michael was telling Tom he was his “brother,” and affirming his love and admiration. He could have said, “Where’s our brother?” or “Where’s Fredo?” I think this is FFC’s way of showing us that Tom’s back in the family-lawyer mode—no more brother-buddies because Michael no longer needs him to look after things while he’s gone.
2. Tom doesn’t answer Michael’s question. Instead he tells Michael that Roth had a stroke, got out in a boat, is in a hospital in Miami, will recover; and that the bodyguard is dead.
--Why didn’t Tom answer Michael’s question about Fredo? Was he embarrassed for Fredo because he knew Fredo (another of his “brothers”) was the traitor? Trying to protect Fredo (and if so, why)? Afraid to admit that he didn’t know what happened to Fredo?
--How come Tom, who didn’t know that Pentangeli had survived the Rosato brothers’ attack, knows, within 48 hours, all about what happened to two guys in Cuba whose business with Michael was kept away from him?
3. When Michael presses, Tom says, “Uh, I think he got out. He must be somewhere in New York.”
--How did Tom know he got out, and was in New York? Guessing (probably)? Or did Fredo contact Tom (Michael implies this when he tells Tom to “get in touch with Fredo…tell him everything’s all right…”).
3. Does all of this suggest that there was more to Tom’s relationship with Fredo than meets our eyes when we watch GFII?
--If so, was it part of Michael’s resentment toward Tom that led to the coldness between the two in that scene, and Michael’s viciousness toward Tom in the penultimate scene?

Your thoughts?