Dob_P and MightyDR, you guys are right on the money. Another addition I'd like to make to the tale is the easy time Lucchese and Gambino had getting Magaddino to go along with them. This was not only due to Magaddino's jealousy/feuds with his cousin, Joe Bonanno, but also because of a long-festering, deep-seated hatred Magaddino had for Joe Magliocco. This beef went all the way back to when Magaddino was still in Brooklyn and had a business dispute with Magliocco that went against him.

Far too many of the "details" about this entire drama come from the tapes the Feds made of Sam DeCavalcante. Sam was a commission neophyte and totally in awe of the other members who were manipulating him as well, due to his close connections to a few important members of the New York families.