After Tessio approaches Mike at the funeral, Tom says he always thought it would have been Clemenza.

While Clemenza was briefly suspected after the Don is shot, overall it always seemed clear to me that Clemenza is more loyal, less ambitious and less intelligent than Tessio.

So why does Tom think Clemenza would be the traitor?

I think it stems from the meeting when Michael asked Tessio & Clemenza to be patient. Clemenza asks Vito for permission to form his own family and leave the Corleones. This request showed that Clemenza didn't believe that Michael would be able to solidify the family. With a weakened Corleone family, Michael, Vito & Tom correctly assume that one or more of the rival families would reach out to either/both Clemenza & Tessio.

Tom felt it would be Clemenza based upon Clemenza's resistance to Michael's proposal. To a lesser degree, I think Tessio did a much better job of masking his emotions overall. Clemenza was more apt to "wear his heart on his sleeve" and revealed his true feelings in the meeting with Michael, Vito & Tom.

Michael answered your question when he replied: "Tessio was always smaerter." He meant that he thought Tessio would have been smart enough to see through Michael's subterfuge of appearing weak to test his subordinates' loyalty, while Clemenza, presumably less smart, would have jumped ship. Of course the reverse happened.

There's only two capos, two people to suspect. If he would have suspected Tessio, the same question arises.

When Tom says that he always thought that it would have been Clemenza, Michael's reply is "It's the smart move" followed by "Tessio was always smarter."

I believe that Michael's saying that it was the smart move means that because of the way that the Corleone's made themselves appear to be weakened and declining in power, that anyone not privy to being part of the facade the Corleone's put on, would realize that the power was now with the Barzini family and that in order to survive would have to make a deal with the Barzinis That would be the smart move and Tessio was always smarter.


That's my interpretation of what Michael meant.

I agree with Don Cardi. I feel that what Michael meant by "Tessio was always smarter." is basically "Tessio would think we're going to lose the war and jump ship. Clemenza would be too loyal to think we could lose, and will stay to the end."

Clemenza was a champion caporegime!!Loyal to the end.

Clemenza was suspected all from the start of the novel. The novel has explained it clearly enough: clemenza was reckless sometimes.....

Exactly right DC.

Clemenza was always being suspected of being a traitor...they though he helped Paulie sell out Vito.

Is that why when Vito told Tom to give the job (Bonasera's daughter's assailants) to someone reliable, someone that won't get carried away, Tom gave it to Clemenza?

Exactly.Clemenza was loyal.You can see the love he had for the family.Also how he plays a sought of second father figure to Michael.Like when he's telling him what to do with Sollozzo and Mccluskey and even when hes joking around with him when he gets off the phone with Kay.

"It was a fat move. Clemenza was always fatter."