From what I can tell Aiuppa was able to intimidate Giordano at certain points, but if anything they answered to Detroit. Any truth behind that Tony? I've been reading the TruTV article and some bio websites.

Would it matter? Would they really say 'Sorry, Chicago, we listen to Detroit"

Wouldn't Chicago laugh? And then tell Detroit what to do?

When Joe Zerilli was alive and in control of Detroit, I don't think Chicago 'told' Detroit what to do. I doubt Chicago told Detroit much of anything. Detroit was very much it's own entity/territory. Joe Zerilli sat on the national Commission in New York.

Silent Partnerz is right Detroit was a very powerful family under Joseph Zerilli. And almost all related by blood somehow someway.

Barrett - I am not sure about the relationship between Giordano and Auippa. I am not aware of STL answering to Detroit. There are blood relationships between STL and Detroit going back to Prohibition.

I do know that Giordano and Buster Wortman (East Side Boss who answered to the Outfit) managed to get along and cooperate with one another, which caused friction between Vitale and Giordano. The unions were divided among them, and Jimmy Michael's crew.

Art Berne, who succeeded Wortman, and Giordano did not have a good relationship.

Flynn and the Leisures had already killed John Paul Spica (STL made soldier) with a car bomb. Spica was an officer in one of the unions.

As soon as Giordano died, Aiuppa supported Ray Flynn and the Leisures (NOTE - both non Italians) in their bid to take over the unions that was shared by Giordano and Jimmy Michaels. Ron Lawrence and Tim Richards report in their books that Flynn went to Chicago and got the blessing from Auippa to kill Michaels. Michaels was blown up in his car shortly thereafter.

That series of events escalated and just about brought an end to the STL family, the East Side Crew and the Michaels crew.

St. Louis at one time answered to Kansas City beleive it or not. When Giordano became boss he told K.C that St. louis would be independant and had the backing of detroit.

Here is a cool video I found on Youtube called: St. Louis Crime Family Bosses Timeline (1912-2014). Click on the link below to view the video. Enjoy.😀

https://youtu.be/a83REc3nCYQ

How many members they had at their heights ?

34 plus three members from different families and two members from Sicily in the area. That is why you see a large list for the family as associates get counted as being made. Of the 34 made members that were alive at the same time, only 25 or 26 were still active. This is based off a wire tap around 1975 or 1976 when New York opened their books for memberships, this was a hot topic for many of the families around the country, the other discussion was about Chicago flexing and enforcing their influence to a certain extent which St. Louis did not like. There is another wire tap talking about the internal strife within both the Bonanno and Buffalo crime families with a made member named Joe from Rochester who was living in the area. St. Louis was more allied with Kansas City and Detroit it appears.

And what about these days giacomo?

The family is more of a crew. John Sciortino, Vincent Cammarata, and Joseph Tocco are mainly the top members there. John Sciortino is a different Sciortino than the Kansas City Sciortino, which was confusing me for awhile. They are about ten years apart, unsure if they are related. The Tocco brothers Anthony and Joe Tocco are related to the Detroit Tocco. Joe is confirmed made and a strong possibility that Tony is made as well. Their uncle was Anthony Giordano boss of St. Louis till his death in 1980. Vincent Giordano and Giacomo Parrino seemed to have stepped into retirement after Anthony Parrino died in 2014. Anthony Olivastro a soldier also seems to gone into retirement in 2005 after his brother died and Thomas Venizia committed suicide. Frank and Phil Palazzolo are also big with rumors saying Frank is underboss. Angelo Copo is a big player but everything points to him and his crew taking orders from Sicily. Joseph Panneri Jr is the last member known to be made by Tony Parrino.