Accardo always said Ricca was in charge. But Ricca and Accardo made most of the the big decisions. Ricca had to be careful because he was forbidden to associate with known criminals (RIGHT !). But he did have to use caution and as a result pushed Accardo to "announce" decisions to outfit members. Ricca and Accardo established the position of "Boss of The Outfit." They (Accardo&Ricca) remained in the background with final say on important matters. By doing this they were insulated (to some degree) from possible criminal charges and prosecution.

From my readings it didn't seem to matter who the day-to-day boss was because Accardo assumed a role similar to Ricca. Accardo never sought the position of "Boss" of the Outfit, even though he took charge when Ricca went to prison. But there were times when he was the interim boss. He tried several times to retire but Ricca told him "The Outfit needs you." So Accardo acted more as an adviser or consigliere than the boss. But his power was enormous and he made most major decisions, or at least had the final say. He used other members such as Gus Alex, Murray Humphreys, et. al. In the decision-making process. But it was common knowledge by all govt. anti-crime agencies that Tony Accardo was at the top echelon of The Chicago Outfit. The exact title Accardo assumed depends on different agencies, newspapers, etc. Some referred to him as Chairman or Boss of Bosses, or simply as consigliere.

There will always be controversy about Accardo and his status within The Outfit. My suggestion would be to read all the information available on the Internet including FBI files, newspaper articles, books by John Binder, Gus Russo, Richard Lindberg and Bill Roemer (I know, Romer kinda gets carried away with Roemer). Also read some stories by former FBI agents Wayne Johnson, James Wagner and Lee Flosi. There are many more but these guys are well-informed about Accardo.

Finally, don't take my word or anybody's word about Accardo; just do some research and I believe you will develop a picture of his role and status within The Chicago Outfit."

Sorry for the long post.