Another thing on Luchesse, powerful as he was, he wasn't boss until Gagliano died in 1951.


I don't think he would have had the authority to give Bugsy orders while he was out west at the behest of Luciano, Lansky and the Chicago guys. ( and really, even to these heavyweights, Bugsy was still virtually uncontrollable..) Remember this in the what, late thirties, early forties?

But there were Jewish connections there with Lepke, and other narcotics wholesalers. I just don't think it had anything to do with LA. Luchesse biggest union was the Garment Center right? And later the airport unions in NY?

The way I always understood it, the Luchesses were the second biggest in unions in NY after the Genovese, but these were LOCAL unions, not like the Teamsters, the national ones. Those were split between NY and Chicago....