Another interesting article, NYM. Thanks again.

An esteemed poster on these boards, Don Cardi, also gave a detailed account of just how big Vario was. Cardi said he was, in effect, the street boss of the Luccheses.

In "The Heist," co-author Ernest Volkman, says Vario supported the Lufthansa operation because he had been slipping in status since he was passed over for the Lucchese Donship. He needed a big score to regain status. Your opinion? I posted a review of that book here:
http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=695638&Searchpage=1&Main=26269&Words=%2BLufthansa&Search=true#Post695638
Volkman often appeared in OC programs on cable. I thought he behaved like a jerk most of the time. But his book was pretty good.

I spent most of my formative years in East New York. As you said, the northern part of ENY was almost exclusively Italian and heavily mobbed up--Gambino as well as Lucchese territory. The southern part, closer to Jamaica Bay, was mixed Italian/Irish/Jewish. I lived in Canarsie for three years after marrying. Old Canarsie was exclusively Italian. Then they started building ticky-tack two-family houses from Flatlands Avenue to the pier. You could tell the ethnicity of residents in December. At first, one entire block, both sides of the street, would have either Christmas trees or Chanukah Menorahs. Later it'd be one side of the street for trees, the other side for candles. Finally, one story of a house would have a tree, the second story would have candles. Couldn't miss!