Yeah, Vito's statement, "Until today I didn't know it was Barzini all along" astonished me. How could he not know it was Barzini all along? "Tattaglia is a pimp, alone he could never have outfought Santino." Well, he was a pimp when Sollozzo first proposed his meeting with Vito and said Tat was backing him. More important: Barzini was the obvious number-two guy in the Five Families, younger and more modern than the other Dons--and the one who had the most power and influence to gain from drug profits. Vito should have sussed that out the moment Tom brought the Sol proposal to him.

I've always believed that Sol knew Barzini would have the most to gain from the drugs trade, and came to him first. But Barzini must have said, "You need Corleone's judges. If you tell him I'm backing you, he'll know that I'll get stronger. So he'll say no to you. Get Tattaglia to be your front--he's a pimp, and Vito doesn't fear him. I'll be your silent partner."

You also raise a less obvious point: what would Sol's future have been if Vito'd gone along with the proposal? He was no dummy--he'd have to know that his partners were more powerful than he, and, once the business was up and running, they'd simply eliminate him and pile up the profits. My guess is that he'd have used the drugs business to establish his own family, then whack Tattaglia and take over his borgata. That would make him one of the five Dons, and would fire a shot across the other Dons' bows.