It's really interesting you say that Alfa, that's the impression I got too, like Vizzini was away outta his league...
Vizzini imagined that Luciano needed his services as an airforce pilot to move smack. Vizzini imagined that Luciano looked upon him with paternal affection, and to some degree I think that is true. Luciano kept the photo of "airforce pilot Major Mike Cerra" on the wall of his own home. By many accounts Lucky Luciano had affection and sympathy for everyday normal people. Someone said that a person on the street could accidentally bump into him and he would say "excuse me" and keep going. Very polite. But Luciano trusted no one. He didn't become Lucky Luciano by trusting. And he didn't agree with the motive that inspired police to law enforcement. He disagreed with that motive and that logic. He felt they had no right to interfere...
I think Luciano wanted to put on a good front in front of Vizzini without ever giving him any proof that he was into heroin smuggling. Luciano knew that the Italian authorities were on his case, so he had to be on the lookout for agents and undercovers. You'll notice that Luciano never showed Vizzini any drugs or discussed anything drug related with him, only that he might need him in the future. When Vizzini agreed to this, he showed his hand, that he was interested in trafficking...or wanted to become privy to Luciano's trafficking activities. Really he was going to be whacked because you never approach a boss offering your services directly to him. Vizzini forgot that Lucky Luciano was still a boss because Lucky appeared to be alone in Italy with no mafia family, no capos, no soldiers. In the real world, Vizzini should have been trying to become an associate...working for a soldier....who was working for a Capo....who answered to an Underboss and front boss....who answered to Luciano. So in violating that protocol I think Luciano was going to hit him once he could find out who sent Vizzini. Luciano would never just whack someone like him. He wanted to find out who the puppet masters were, always. If the senders were from the underworld, he would engineer their demise. If the senders were from the world of law enforcement, he would go to school on them and become wise to their operation.
Remember when Vizzini found his name (but no photo) on a list of agents in Luciano's home? He really had a very close call. Luciano was very smart.
Edit: Some people say Luciano was not heroin trafficking in Italy, but if that is true, why would he have the name of an FBN (Federal Buereau of Narcotics) agent in his possession?
