At the senate hearings when Frankie's brother showed up with Michael, Tom said that his reputation in Italy was respected and impeccable. Is this true? I assume some threat was made to him and/or Frankie if he didn't go to America and I also assume he was aware of Frankie's activities. Was Tom correct however, in his description of his reputation?

I always felt sorry for him. He seemed so fragile and old and I took him as an innocent victim in this.

TIS

I think in Sicily's eyes at the time his reputation would have been impecciable because at the the time the mafia worked hand in hand with them. My guess is that he would be an old school freind of a freind, he would have commited crimes but nothing would have been done about it due to fear to the police and any witnesses. So yes his reputation would be as a law abider but in reality he probably wasn't. Frankie even said if he came over to the US he'd probably have his own Family. I figured that to mean he was a Wiseguy of some sort in Sicily.

I like it when Tom tells Pentangelli that his brother went immediately back to Sicily and didn't even want to go out to dinner. Perhaps someone suggested Louie's in the Bronx. I can see where that may have ruined an appetite...among other things.

I agree with everything Turi said. Plus, Hagen was trying to keep Vincenzo from being forced to testify. Questad says, "Will he come forward and be sworn?" He's asking, because Vincenzo wasn't on the agenda, and wasn't subpoenaed. By replying, "He is not under subpoena, and his reputation in his own country is impeccable," Hagen was saying to the Committee: "You have no legal right to put this guy on the stand. And, if you decide to issue a subpoena, I want you to know that the guy is a citizen of another country, where he's respected, and he's not a gangster or part of this inquiry."
Some people here believe that Michael threatened Vincenzo to make him come to the US, perhaps by menacing his family in Sicily. I don't. I think Michael convinced him that his brother was about to bring disgrace upon his family--but if he showed up at the hearing, his appearance would shame Frankie into doing the right thing.

You know I had the same question. I was tryign to figure out was it some type of Sicilian thing that would make someone not testify. Like some kind of code of honor. All it took was a stare from his brother and he changed his story...What was that all about I've been rakin' my brain forever trying to figure it out.

From what I have gathered from the message boards, Omertta or however you spell is respect in sicily, as it's a code of honor that a sicilian follows and they never rat out one another to the authority. Someone call explain it better than me.