True PB. You know, we go back and forth about referencing the film and the book in a thread. Those Board members who are purists can reference one or the other, but I don't see the virtue in that. The film leaves out so much that the novel covers and explains. However, the novel leaves one wondering also.

I've always opined that it is improbable that the largest mafia family in the country would have only two capos or that Vito would have, from inception on, organized his family with only two capos. There is nothing in the novel to indicate that there were more than two (or three if you want to count Sonny). Puzo makes no effort to inform us that there might be more capos.

TB, I disagree. Pentangeli tells Michael that he wants to run his family without Michael riding him about it. Michael confirms that Frankie is a Don by telling him that he is to run his family like a Corleone. There is nothing to indicate otherwise, offically or not.