Does Paul strike anyone else as close to a “real life” Michael Corleone?

Better yet, to frame the question wider, what do you make of Paul? As a gangster, but also as a man?

The legit businessman mindset, the slight philosophical bent. The quiet understanding, even as he’s chatting with the FBI, that you don’t TALK to the FBI. You can talk, but you don’t name names. His whole quote about how you make certain promises in life, and leading up to the fact that sometimes you make promises to a dying man. Essentially saying that certain things are sacred. Certain things you don’t break.

And when the agents get too comfy by replying “You mean to Cousin Carlo?” He clams up, offended. Saying certain names you don’t say lightly

Besides being a businessman, there almost seems a reverence, a regal sort of, deep thinking reverence to the man. That you might’ve found in a judge. Someone who wasn’t a thug and who understood very well his was considered an immoral business, but also understood he made his choices.

This seems to be a man who probably didn’t want to die, but, I think would’ve understood it as a price of the life he chose.

This was a man who I feel wouldn’t have flipped, as Gotti and others do, because it seems certain things and certain promises as he alluded to were sacred. He might’ve wanted to flip, but those promises would supersede his wants.

He’s an interesting fellow. Guys like Gotti, your other gangsters, they’re easier to figure out. Not just from their verbosity. But you get an easy read of what exactly made em tick. Castellano you dont. You do, but you don’t.

Am curious to hear your thoughts

That’s interesting. I guess I’m some ways. Paul was different in the sense that he was into white collar crimes as opposed to the usual bread and butter gangsters. Even though he was known as a “businessman” the guy could be quite brutal when you pissed him off.

It would have been a great book if the two agents who wrote it did not lie about a few things, such as how they planted the listening device. Other agents did it, but they made it sound dramatic, as if they were the ones doing it. So after that who knows what is true and what isn't? If all the transcripts pertaining to crime were released we would know. I also think it was a lowlife thing to mention his sex life. The information came from listening devices in his home, and they were legally not allowed to use that. The FBI can break the law if they want. It was a good book in many ways, I just would like to see an unedited transcript of their actual conversations with Castelano in order to see how they line up with the book description of them.

You have a good point there, even though he was so old at he time. He did grow up around Carlo Gambino, and got involved when young.

Those two agents are a disgrace to the FBI...They're not supposed to listen to non criminal discussions, and by the looks of it, they listened to everything and to further disgrace themselves and the agency, they write a book about how they listened to how Castelanno had a limp joint...

You're right, they're lying destroys their credibility on everything else they claim in the book

“There are certain promises you make that are more sacred than anything that happens in a court of law,I don't care how many Bibles you put your hand on. Some of the promises,it's true,you make to young,before you really have an understanding of what they mean. But once you've made those first promises, other promises are called for. And the thing is you can't deny the new ones without betraying the old ones. The promises get bigger, there are more people to be hurt and disappointed if you don't live up to them. Then, at some point, your called upon to make a promise to a dying man.

Paul Castellano

I rate him as one of the better bosses of a major family. Smart on the business side but not shy about using extreme violence. But not trigger happy like Scarfo and Amuso. Yeah he benefited from nepotism but in 1976(?) who else, apart from dellacroce deserved the top spot.

Didn't them fbi agents resign their posts when told serving agents not allowed to right books ( which is how it should be). And ,yes, writing about his penile operation was childish and wrong.

Was one of the first mob books I read. Films ok ,too.

Did he benefit from nepotism? To a degree

But he was also made a Captain under Anastasia, before Carlo took over. Which says he was seen as leadership material on merit

He was also actually elected to the position of Boss at a meeting in October 1976 that lasted six hours. The two candidates for Boss were Joe N. Gallo and himself. Joe was the favored candidate in the Family but claimed he did not want the spotlight of boss and claimed health woes. According to a top echelon informant, Gallo was the most respected figure in the family at the time. So the Captains by acclamation and voice vote chose Paul after deliberating. Neil wasn’t a candidate and the man wasn’t even free when Carlo died.

Paul had qualifications:

Capo since the 1950s
Street / Acting Boss since 1966

He had been basically groomed for a future leadership role for almost 20 years. So it wasn’t just Carlo picked his name out of a hat. He was actually elected

He didn’t start running into trouble until 1983. That year the Ruggiero heroin case happened and he also bumped off DeMeo the same year. Before that he had been sailing smooth as Boss since 1976

Would he have ever been the boss if were not related to Gambino?

If the answer is NO

Then would it be safe to say he never should have been boss in the first place?

I am asking a question ???

I am pretty sure the answer is
NO he would not have been boss..

He killed his Son in law for making fun of his BEAK
?

He put Tommy Bilioti in as boss when he went away.
The guy was his driver and thug, certainly NOT boss of the largest and most powerful crime family.

Under his leadership the family was divided into two factions.

If he didnt get killed he would have gotten 100 years in jail.

Tommy Gambino was actually his choice for Boss. Bilotti would’ve been Underboss

I can see what he was going for. He was trying to mimic the white collar Boss / blue collar underboss dynamic that he had had with Neil

I think and I could be wrong, but didnt Paul have a good relationship with the other 4 bosses
Especially Chin Gigante? Its kinda funny how Gotti hated Paul bring "greedy" and thought he
Was out of touch and aloof with the captain's etc etc.
But isnt every mafia boss greedy in their own way?
And dealing in heroin/drugs is a far worse action than insulating yourself from the lower ranking
Menbers of your family.

People might have thought Tommy was a wimp but you'd have had a much smarter family with another Gambino at the top running things like a business - between Tommy, Gaggi, diBernardo, Gravano and Scotto amongst some others, you'd have had a real low key/well connected/highly profitable family that would have truly made the Gambino's a worthy rival of the Genovese.

Sure Tommy's cover story might have been that he was a dressmaker but the Genovese did just fine all those years with a fraction of the heat having a "crazy nut bar" at the top. Logically a far superior choice to Gotti.

Its kind of like the age old political question of which candidate would you rather have a beer with? People analyze that question but really it's a stupid question. The candidate you want is the one who is too smart and doesn't have the time to sit down and have a beer with you because they're too busy keeping the world running. Sometimes a not very nice person is the right person for the job. Sometimes a brilliant person you can't understand is the right person. If you had cancer and needed an operation you wouldn't pick the surgeon you'd most like to have a beer with.

Gotti was the candidate that rank and file blue collar Gambino buttons wanted to "have a beer with." Guys like Castellano and Gambino weren't as popular but they had the brains to really run the thing. Man, they were bred to do that just like how the Monarchy works. The rank and file of the Gambino's just didn't understand that, although they've certainly had a better run of bosses in the last 10-15 years.

I could be wrong however, I thought that Paul, appointed Bilioti A.B. if he were to lose at trial and go away.
I thought that was another the family was upset with him.

Much of what you say has a lot of merit to it Eastside.

Bilotti was appointed Underboss, replacing Neil

His initial succession plan was a ruling panel of Tommy Gambino and John Gotti with Tommy B as Underboss. Then he revised it to Tommy Gambino becoming Acting Boss and Bilotti staying on as Underboss.

Ok I stand corrected.
I did not know that Castalleno was going put Gotti, on the ruling panel

I see your point. I think he would have been a perfect fit as the mafia was evolving from strictly blue collar crime to white collar crime. That said, he was not well liked which is a problem, despite his loyalists.

Yes. An informer in Gotti’s crew told the Feds that in May 1985, Gotti & co had heard Paul might want to whack them out and Gotti began planning to strike first. Gotti had a snitch in the Castellano faction.

At this time, Paul had also a snitch in Gotti’s faction and held a meeting in mid June 1985 with Gotti to clear the air. There was no hit on Gotti planned.

Paul was pretty certain he was going to prison, he told Gotti, and wanted a “peaceful transition” and said to Gotti the new administration would be a ruling panel consisting of Gotti, Tommy Gambino, and Tommy Bilotti. Gotti came back skeptical, but willing to give it a chance. But felt there was a risk he could be marginalized by the two Tommy’s. At which point he would take out both Tommy’s after Paul went to prison, if that was the case. But for the moment the hit was off.

The hit was put back on/accelerated when Neil died, and when he decided to make Bilotti underboss. Also, it’s forgotten but, Paul was scheduled to leave for Florida through the new year for December 19th. So December 16th was also a matter of timing before he went on vacation.

Thank YOU..

What about the Tapes from go Ruggerio's Case?
Once Paul heard the tapes I thought he was going to KNOCK down Gotti and take away the Bergin Crew

Which I thought was the reason why Gotti hit first ?

The tapes from the Ruggerio case were the reason he killed Castellano, if not for that he does not do it. Gotti was not giving up his friend. It was even captured in the conversation he had with Dellacroce where Dellacroce finally tells him that if he feels that way. we wrap it all up and go to war.