3. Ola's Call To Fredo - Even after Michael visits Roth, the plan to kill Michael is still moving forward. Ola calls Fredo to see if Pentangeli is realy going to make the deal with the Rosatos. In other words ROth is fishing to determine the sincerity of Michael during his visit to Miami.
Excellent point, dt. The fact that Michael first said he was going to kill Pentanageli, and instead sent Frankie to make up with the Rosatos, must have set off five-alarm bells in Roth's mind.
4. Michael's intelligence gathering. I dont know exactly how Micheal learned that the plan was to have Batista's soldiers kill Michael after the New Year's party, but learn it he did, and he had to dig pretty deep into his resources to learn that the plot to kill him was still on.
Michael must have known at that point that Roth finally gave in and invited him to Cuba for one purpose only: to have him killed there. The offer to drive him from the Presidential palace to his hotel "for his protection" had to have been a dead giveaway (no pun intended).
5. Roth's arrogance. He might as well have told Michael he would rub him out.
One of the strengths of that all-time-great scene is that at that point
both of them knew each other's plans--and still they kept duelling. Incredible!
6. Fredo's continued silence I think Roth promised Fredo he would be head of the Corleone family after Michael's assassination. That was the "something in it for me." It would rectify Fredo's being passed over. And btw it is the reason Michael was right to kill him.
Absolutely no doubt about that.
