Yeah, I remember reading that exchange too:
I think a lot of it was timing, Dellacroce was in jail for the tax thing when the BOss question opened up.
I think he didn't move because they showed him a lot of respect just waiting for him to come home before naming a boss. From what I understand if they tried it the other way, he woulda had to respond just to save face, by waiting for him to come home, and not doing a Costello and demoting him, his respect was kept intact, as well as his financial stake.
Also, I think DEllacroce was just saaavy enough to know he was the power in the family anyway.
It reminds me a little of what LEonetti said about Scarfo in his book, that even though Testa was boss, the most powerful guy was SCarfo, that when it came time to exercise power (murder) Scarfo called the shots, same with the Gambinos and Dellacroce, 3 capo hits, Galante....
His guys loved him, a lot of people don't understand it's very hard to win a war vs a guy with a loyal crew, it's why MAranzano beat MAsseria, shit it's why gotti got away with killing Paul, no one loved Paul enough to die for him, plus losing Paul didn't hurt enough guys financially to provoke a response.
"Gotti inherited a criminal superstate, custom-designed over three previous decades by two innovative Mob entrepreneurs, Carlo Gambino & Paul Castellano....He began his reign overseeing the largest and probably the most powerful criminal organization in the nations history. When he left, the Gambino's were a disintergrating, besieged clan. And he was chiefly responsible for the whirlwind that tore apart both the borgata and his own personal family" - Selwyn Raab
I kind of agree with that assessment, Gotti started the downfall of the Gambinos, the transition hit guys in their pockets, but it wasn't until Gotti was well in place that guys began realizing it. Gotti was really no better, he demanded just as much of a cut as Castellano did out of his soldiers earnings. He was a respected gangster, and a tough guy, and had his loyalists, but he was an incompetent leader. He had nothing to rely on other than his street smarts. There must've been a reason, other than out of respect for the rules, that guys like Failia collaborated with the Westside & The Lucchese's in an attempt on Gotti's life. They must've felt that things would be better if they or someone else was in charge. Same goes for the Corrozzo's. Had Gotti beat that last trial and remained on the street, do you think he would've effectively established his plan, of an undying Cosa Nostra, a supreme family that would never be weakened? I don't think so, personally. When the Corrozzo's began to turn on the Gotti's that was a sign of the troubles that may have come had he still been around, it's also possible he could've reeled everybody in, and put everyone in line. But that family was in a state of serious decline once he was walked out of the Ravenite in handcuffs.
john did
not charge the same as paul john was
not a greedy boss
number 1 for example he helped pay mobsters lawyer costs and when the grand jury into the mob he paid everything all the guys paul would have never done that
number 2 paul was taxing the guys who were retired as soon as john took over he stopped taxing the oldtimers
you talk about the corezzos but they did
not have the power to turn on john until john senior went away and for awhile junior and nicky got along
see nicky and john hated each other because charles carneliga stabbed a corezzo assoiate to death and when there was a sitdown neil ruled in johns favour after that there was bad blood. When john took over nicky in the 1996 loansharking tape admitted he feared he was going to be killed in 1985 because of the there hatred but john kept him around as acting capo
there is everdince that for awhile under john senior nickys guys liked john senior thats coming from andrew DiDontaro an corezzo assoiate they liked his blue collar approach thats of course if andrew is telling the truth
now when john senior went away nicky and junior got on fine the whole beef was junior against danny marino and joe watts.
The only plot i have ever heard of nicky going against junior was in 1997 a meeting with nicky c lenny d mikey y andrew d and the rest of there crew. Andrew was on the run after the feds wanted to question him for drug trafficiking and the 1996 murder of robert arena( turns out andrew d was not the killer it was mikey y on nicky cs orders)
anyway andrew said that nicky said he knew that the feds were going to bust him any day. Nicky said if he goes to prison he wants mikey y and andrew d to kill "baby huey" (junior gottis nickname in the corezzo crew) as he felt he was getting cheated out of the phone scam they were running. Nicky also said he wanted to be the boss but he never made it he was arrested weeks later. Lenny d was also arrested.
The plot never had the chane though junior was soon arrested nicky never gave the go ahead to kill junior andrew d was arrested while on the run
[b]my opinion the demise of the gambino family starts with paul castanalo the man helped destroy that family and john just carried on the damage with his press loving bullshit and when he went away in 1992 he should have stepped down then and someone should have stepped up that ruling panel bullshit hurt the family no clear leader in the 90s/b]
