Dominic and Sal, reading the above news clipping led me to another...
This one is about Valachi testifying to the US Senate that when Maranzano was killed, he actually met Charlie Luciano and Vito Genovese that day.
The implication of course, is that Luciano and Genovese killed Maranzano themselves....with possible assistance.
Valachi's Version of the Maranzano Rubout To me this is the most plausible, not the story told in the movie script called Last Testament of Lucky Luciano about 4 Jews trained over several weeks to impersonate IRS agents. To me it's more plausible that Luciano and Genovese and others did it themselves, and then told everyone else that Murder Inc did it.
Remember. In the official story, Maranzano was to send for Luciano later on, but wanted to meet with Mad Dog Coll. Instead IRS agents show up ahead of time and whack Maranzano. So in the official story....Luciano was never there that day.
But according to the above newspaper clipping quoting Valachi, Luciano and Vito Genovese were there.
Remember Masseria? Why does everyone think Lucky took a leak when Masseria was shot? That was Lucky's story. They ate food and played cards? No way. No food was found in Masseria's stomach and someone probably placed the Ace in his hand for effect. There were important gangsters at that restaurant and no one ate very much if at all, so why would they be playing cards? No, Lucky probably shot Masseria himself (along with the rest of the gunmen) and then gave his gun to one of the assassins who ran/rode off...the same way Carmine Galante's bodyguards took part in the shooting once the masked killers arrived.
They (Galante's guards) probably had to shoot because in not doing so they could later on talk to police and identify the killers to both police and gangsters alike. The only way to show approval for the hit and allegiance to the hitters is to pull out their pieces and start blasting away at the target along with everyone else. That's the only way to display that they are friendly to the coup. I think this is also what happened with Masseria and his bodyguard (Luciano). And if Lucky killed Masseria, he probably also took an active role in the hit on Maranzano.
