How did michael come to such a conclusion. I know that Vito says that whoever comes with barzini meeting is a traitor. Even at Vito's funeral, michael tells Tom about this. But how could he be so sure? Why couldn't it have been a genuine meeting to make peace. Why didn't Tessio pretend as if he did not understatnd why michael refused to go with him in the car? Is it described in the novel (I haven't read it yet)?

Even without reading the novel, it is easy to see how Michael was able to conclude that Tessio turned traitor. For one thing, Tessio openly questioned Michael in the meeting with Vito, Tom, Clemenza, Carlo, & Michael. Tessio boldly stated "Mike, you're wrong." He didn't believe that Michael was making the move out of strength, but out of weakness. In addition, Vito told Michael that someone close would betray him.

In the novel, it's stated that Vito ordered the phones of Tessio & Clemenza to be monitored.

The Don also says"Who ever comes to you the meet,hes the trator.

Yes. And two other things:
1. In that same meeting, Vito says to the two caporegimes: "Do you value my advice?" "Always, Godfather," answers loyal Clemenza. Tessio answers, "Yes," in a choked voice that sounded more like a hiss.
2. At Vito's funeral, check out how chummy Tessio seems with Barzini--and note how Michael's watching.

One more thing. Vito and Michael knew very well that Barzini cannot propose "genuine" peace talk.
His goal is to take over the Corleone family, and the best decision for him is to get rid of Mike. Even if they succeeded carefully decieving him about their knowlege of his implication in Sonny's death and attempts at Vito and Michael, they knew both that there's a place on earth for one of them only, Either Barzini or Mike. The winner will be the first to hit. So Mike expected B. to act quickly, and in the most safe way - as Mike says in the book, "Barzini will set me up through somebody close that, supposedly, I can't suspect."
The rest is pure logic- and Mike was always good at logic...

So when did the situation change from "some one close, some one who will propose brazini meeting, some one who is unhappy with mike taking over, etc. etc" to "Tessio is THE traitor"?

I guess it must have been the funeral, because the tapping of phone and Tessio expressing dissent, both happened before Vito died. But Vito did not know conclusively if the traitor would be tessio or clemenza or any one else.

True, there was never any HARDCORE proof that Tessio was the traitor (like a scene with him talking to Barzini and saying "Don't worry, he'll be there. He trusts me." or something like that) but it kinda just added up. Maybe poor Tessio was innocent all along.

Even if the proof wasnt concrete they had to be sure. Tessios guilt was obvious when Hagen confronted him anyway.

i think there is a detail u guys maybe not mention.
in the novel,when vito is young,he wanted to give politic protection to a Don with gambling(i'm a Chinese,so i read the Chinese version,i don't know exactly that silly Don's name.),but he refused vito's advise,so vito,killed him ,and that way was same as Tessio's,arrange a meeting with that Don,and kill him(it was Tessio who kill that Don,and he wanted to use the same way to kill mikey)

I have a question about this same thing, only I was going to start a new thread. Since this is the same scenario, I thought I would ask my question here because it involves the same incident.

Since Tessio is the traitor, and Clemenza and Tessio seemed to be inseparable, how did Clemenza feel about Tessio trying to have Mike killed? It is only logical that since both of them were unhappy with the decisions that Mike was making, that they must have discussed this with each other. Tessio must have informed Clemenza of his plans with Barzini, right? And yet, we see Clemenza assassinating those guys in the elevator along with the rest of the assassins that day. Even though Clemenza wasn't the "smartest" as Michael said, he certainly was the most loyal and that is something anyone would want over smarts in a friend. NO?

Does the book mention anything about Clemenza and Tessio during this time when Tessio decides to betray Mike?

~~ Lolly

Lollie, Vito made such a setting that Tessio and Clemenza wouldn't have any intercourse even socially. They were not inseparable, they met only in cases of emergency. They owned different territories in the city. And Tessio would never trust C. with his plans, why should he? It's too much of a risk.

JM:

Thanks for the response! Your answer does make sense except for one thing. Clemenza, Tessio and Vito were a "team" from almost the beginning and looking at it from a non mob focus, it seems like Clemenza and Tessio might have had difficulties with each other because of their differing "loyalties", right? But, again, like you said, the whole situation was not "normal", was it? This man Vito did pull the strings.

~~ Lolly

You're welcome, Lollie. Only expand your thought a little - why should they have problems with each other? Which difference in loyalties you mean?