While I may not have chosen to decapitate Khartoum (my mother, an animal lover, said she'd never speak to me again if I did, perhaps the head of a horse already killed for other reasons could have been placed in the bed, like Coppola did for the movie), if I was in Vito's position I wouldn't have stopped until I was able to coerce Woltz into giving Johnny the part. I wouldn't have let an asshole like Woltz ruin the career of somebody I loved (and that's what he said he planned on doing at the dinner with Tom). I just would not let that happen.