We can only speculate what really was discussed on many prohibition time mafia meetings because we dont have a real proof.So these are only rumours and stories told by mob historians that i managed to gather as one.
The Chicago mob leaders cooperated rather than competed with the New York Mafia Families.It looked like there was a war brewing between the Chicago Outfit and the NY five families.A lot of problems needed to be solved.Prohibition was comming to an end so the mob needed different sources and also needed to join forces.During the 30's Outfit big shot Paul Ricca established a good working relationship with New Yorkers Charlie Luciano,Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello and used those contacts to help the Chicago Family to get involved in other illegal operation's around the country.The Eastern mob found Ricca to be responsive to their desire to connect with the otherwise isolated Chicago outfit.Back than Outfit boss Frank Nitti was throwing around orders from the Bismark Hotel,while Paul Ricca became the guy with most connections.Nitti was not regarded very highly in national mob circles,the top leaders of the emerging National Crime Syndicate dealt with Ricca, not Nitti, He frequently overruled Nitti's orders. Such a move would normally be unthinkable in any crime family, but Nitti didn't object.Nor people like Guzik or The Camel took orders from Nitti.
Just how much this organization was really running things around the country,it was then when it became clear.
One of the first national mafia meetings was held in Chicago in April 1932 at the Congress Hotel.Paul Ricca,Charles Luciano and Meyer Lansky were among the Chicago and New York gangsters to attend national Mafia convention.Some sources say that Rocco Fischetti was also at the meeting.
For example,two of the attendees were Salvatore Agoglia(Sylvester?) and Harry Brown.Agoglia was a member of the Chicago West Side street crew under Paul Ricca.Once he was arrested with Capone and Frank Yale in the infamous 1925 Christmas Day Massacre in Brooklyn that took out several members of the Irish White Hand Gang.He was known for controlling labor unions.There not much information about New York mobster Harry "Sugar" Brown,only that he was close ally with Lansky and he was a national gangster that maybe controlled gambling operations around the country.
Story goes that one of the agenda was gambling.When Chicago started encroaching on New Yorks territory with their own gambling operations,people objected.New York's big shot Meyer Lansky was working out deals with Ricca over gambling rights in Miami and Broward County, Florida where New York controlled narcotics and vice in the early 30's and also starting and sharing new operations out of the country,like Cuba.
Also the Chicago Outfit argued that Chicago would gladly withdraw from Miami for a split of some of the national unions that the New York mob controlled.Story goes that the New York families at first refused but later Luciano agreed.Ricca with his diplomatic skills managed to get New York to open up some of its east coast unions and have Miami declared an open city.Rumours are that the Chicago mob didn't really care about Miami.What they wanted was the labor unions.
The Chicago Outfit had penetrated many of the most powerful labor union's around the country.The Outfit was running things differently than the NY mob.For example,the NY mob influenced labor unions by brute force, intimidating or corrupting union officials.In Chicago the labor officials were in fact Outfit members.Also the Chicago Outfit had penetrated the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Motion Picture Operators and used its influence to rob movie studios of millions with the help of the local Los Angeles Mafia.
Charles Luciano also needed help from Ricca in distributing narcotics around the country.The Chicago Outfit agreed and with the help of the Midwest crime families,that were allied with Chicago,shipped drugs to NY and the rest of the U.S.
Another thing on the agenda was Al Capone.He became too much of an obstacle to "free enterprise",a guy who every1 in the world was looking for him.The national mob respected Capone a lot but business is business.Theres no evidence what really happend but never the less,one month later,Capone was sent to prison.
Later when the meeting finished,as they were leaving the Congress hotel,they all got arrested by the Chicago Police.Arrested were Paul Ricca,Sylvester Agoglia,Harry Brown,John Senna,Charles Luciano and Meyer Lansky.Later they were released after being booked and printed since the cops had no reason to hold them.
No one knows how things really ended up but after this gathering there were also other meetings between the Chicago and NY gangsters years later.
The famous picture of the arrested gangsters...
From left to right Paul Ricca,Salvatore Agoglia,Charlie Luciano,Meyer Lansky,John Senna,Harry Brown
