Was Nitti very close in Capones inner circle? Why does it seem that other Outfit members wouldve been chosen to run the organization before him (Ricca, etc..)? Was he always just a front man? Just seems like an unlikely choice. And also was he recognized y the commission? I always thought Ricca was the one who interacted with the other bosses, not Nitti.

Nitti planned many hits for the Capone gang and also had large bootleging operations,so yeah he was in the inner circle.And i belive that after Al's imprisonment,Nitti was the boss of the gang.

Story goes that Ricca and Nitti have met each other at the Bella Napoli. After that Nitti took Ricca to work for him at the Lexington Hotel,which was an Outfit hangout at the time and Ricca worked as a confidential aid to Nitti.Ricca was introduced very well to the Capone gang through Nitti and thats when things changed.Ricca became emissary or messenger for the Capone gang and the national commission.Also after Diamond Joe's death Ricca inherited all of his operations and contacts and that's when he became a power house.

When Al went to jail,Nitti inherited the heat from the government and public attention that was brought by Al himself.So Ricca played it smart and operated from the shadows.

nitti was head of the enforcement in the days of al capone (before accardo took over), his second man. I think he was fine with playing only the 2nd violine after ricca, but of course, the ny commission noticed that ricca was the real power.