Depends on what you mean by "fear". That's like asking if Hitler and Stalin feared each other. Well they probably did, since they both knew the other guy was very powerful and could hurt them.
Everyone fears their rivals, otherwise they wouldn't be rivals. And a man without fear is a dead man walking.
We know Gotti "feared" the Chin, not because Bruce Mouw(or was it Coffey?) said Gotti blinked when hearing the West Side or bullshit like that, but because Gotti was no idiot. He saw how close Chin and Casso came to killing him with the bomb.
But people spin this into Chin idolatry. If Gotti feared Chin, then Chin also feared Gotti, because Chin also wasn't an idiot. Otherwise why try and kill him in the first place? Why ally with Casso in the first place?
"Stickler for the rules" my ass. Chin feared Gotti for one reason: because of the precedent Gotti killing Castellano set. It meant no one was bulletproof or above being killed. If Castellano got it, it might also be open season on the Chin. That's it.
It was Mouw who later told about Gotti's reaction when they told him the West Side was planning on hitting him. And I'm not sure why people say it's "bullshit." Mouw apparently saw a change come over the usual ego-driven, carefree Gotti that showed he took the threat seriously and it "meant something to him," as Mouw put it.
We also know that, while Gotti only suspected that Chin was behind his underboss getting blown up, he now had proof from the feds that the Genovese were gunning for him. But there was never any retaliation. They confronted the Genovese about it but, as they probably suspected he would, Chin just played dumb.
I think both Chin and Gotti were wary of the other. But it definitely seems that Chin was more ready and willing to strike than Gotti was. But I've never seen this as a reason for idolizing Chin.
I do agree about the reason for Chin's anger at Gotti. Gotti's move put all bosses, including Chin, in danger. And that's what got DeCicco blown up. The later plotting against John and Gene Gotti, by Bobby Manna, was more related to Gambino encroachment on Genovese territory in New Jersey.
Last edited by IvyLeague; 08/28/1409:50 AM.
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