Originally posted by plawrence:
Let me just say and then I am done with this topic.

If Puzo wanted the 5 families families to include the Corleones, he would not have written phrases like:

[b]The representatives of the Five Families of New York were the last to arrive and Tom Hagen was struck by how much more imposing, impressive, these five men were than the out-of-towners...."

or

Of the five New York Families opposing the Corleones his (Stracci's) was the least powerful".

or

“The war of 1947 between the Corleone Family and the Five Families combined against them proved to be expensive to both sides

or

"For the last year the Corleone family had waged war against the five great mafia families of New York"

or

“There were five or six “Families” too powerful to be eliminated”

or

“It was Brasi operating alone, when one of the six powerful families tried to interfere and become the protector of the independents….”

or

"(this) was the first challenge to trhe Corleon family and their power in ten years. There was no doubt Sollozzo was behind it, but he never would have dared attempt such a stroke unless he had support from at least one of the five great New York families."

There are, of course, others...... [/b]