In 1946, the American Justice
gave a present to the Mafia.
Sent back to Italy,
his home country, Salvatore Lucanfa,
alias Charles "Lucky" Luciano,
the king of the New York underworld.
Sentenced to 50 years in prison in 1936,
by District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey,
after 9 years he was acquitted
for "special services" rendered
to the U. S. Armed Forces,
by the same Dewey, who had
become the new governor of New York.
Where are you going, godfather'?
- Open the gate!
Go on.
Say hi to my hometown!
I guess we'll go.
Excuse me, I need the bathroom.
You can't know how I feel.
Watch out, I'm a Sicilian, too,
and I can break your ass!
You're an asshole.
Charlie, don't get pissed.
Freddie's a new guy!
That's Frank Costello,
their prime minister.
And Sox Lanza with the whole fish market.
Shit, with a fishnet
we could catch them all!
They're having fun
while we freeze our asses off!
A toast to Charlie's health!
Champagne! Come!
They drink champagne,
and you piss Coca-Cola.
One must always be on the side of power.
Because it's the only way,
one can achieve balance..
In the world we want.
A man to be a man,
must be a man of order.
I'd even say a man of peace.
Five months after
the death of Joe Masseria,
on the night of September 11, 1931,
which became known as
the Night of the Sicilian Vespers,
40 crime bosses were killed from
one end of the United States.
The decapitation strategy of
the old mafia was by Lucky Luciano,
who thus became the "Boss of the Bosses".
Bitter Sicily, the blood
you gave me is all red.
It's been long since I le' as a boy,
so alone and sad
all around the world.
Mama, your death,
has broken my heart.
But my homeland
you should not abandon me.
But should hold me in your arms,
like mama.
Friends, I thank you with all my heart.
I was a free citizen in America.
I'll be a free citizen in Italy also.
Although, I don't plan to stay there long.
Even if I have to get back through Mexico.
I trust you won't make me
wait me another 9 years.
This is $200,000,
if you need more, just say.
What the fuck?
Let's not spoil the party.
I'm sorry.
I can't drink.
But you're Italian!
- Yes, I am.
It's OK, he's a paisan!
Yes, I am a paisan. My parents
are from the province of Avellino.
Can I do anything for you?
Your family is in Italy?
I can visit them.
What can I do for you?
Would you like a raise?
Yeah, a promotion..
How can you help me if
you're being deported to Italy?
Don't worry about it.
It's my affairs.
Hopefully.
Excuse me, your Excellency,
I was running a little late.
You know, I've been busy.
He's returned to see his native town.
- Yes.
It's her third son to be
killed within the year.
CANCEMI, GIUSEPPE
Innocent victim by
a cruel and unscrupulous hand..
RUSSO, ANTONIO
Dead by an unholy hand,
leaving a desolate wife..
Here lies GIARDINA, ANTONINO
who sacrificed his life
for the workers' cause and socialism..
The mortal remains of
NICOSIA, CARMELO
Innocent victim of a cruel assassin
after 12 days of cruel suffering..
ANGELO PALIZZOLO
Killed by a cruel and unknown hand..
You're Lucky Luciano'?
Sir, you're not Italian?
Sort of.
- Do you like Naples?
I like the sea.
Go with a spaghetti to the American!
A eet of fishing vessels,
merchant ships and luxury yachts,
armed in Marseille or in Sicily,
cross the Mediterranean
from Tangiers to Beirut,
from Malta to Genoa and Trieste,
under the orders of a Mafia boss.
"A quiet man with sad eyes",
living peacefully in Naples:
Lucky Luciano.
In a few years,
this man created the largest criminal
organization that has ever existed.
Our investigations in Italy,
has shown, despite the skepticism
and indifference from the police,
that the heroin sold by the Mafia
in the United States
comes from pharmaceutical companies
with great reputations in Italy.
We calculated.. that,
from the Schiaparelli company alone,
a pharmaceutical company in Turin,
more than 450 kg of heroin
has been diverted for
the profit of the drug trade.
We've asked the Italian Public
Health Commissioner to intervene,
to check and limit the concession
of sales licenses,
but they did nothing.
- That's not true!
We've arrested Migliardi,
the director of Schiaparelli.
He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
But you still haven't changed the laws.
And Luciano and his men are continuously
supplied with all the drugs they want!
Medical authorities in my country
state conclusively that heroin,
when used well,
is very beneficial for certain diseases.
Send them here to America.
They'll see how beneficial heroin is!
What can you in Italy know?
Let's look at the facts.
The chemical industry in Italy..
Has real political power over
the government of Rome.
Explain something to us.
Why do all those mafiosi,
all those certified "gangsters",
can go anywhere they want with
passports and have gun permits?
And why, in the Italian police records,
they're registered as people
of good political, civil
and moral character?
Why don't you ask this to your
Immigration or Justice departments?
These "gangsters", these mafiosi,
who sent them back to Italy?
You, Americans. And by the hundreds.
You called them "undesirables".
And these undesirables came to Sicily
on the heels of the Allied forces.
And then they've moved up through the
Italian peninsula: Naples, Milan, Genoa.
Always in the wake of
the United States army.
Ask your generals why
they've appointed mayors
of the first liberated towns
in Sicily such men as
Calogero Vizzini and Genco Russo.
Men known and feared by all
as mafia bosses.
Ask your Colonel Charles Poletti
why, when he was governor in Naples,
did he choose as his partner
and right arm, Vito Genovese?
You knew better than we that Genovese
was a notorious Mafia boss!
Quiet! Salute the colonel!
Hey, Jim, I don't like your friend.
Bring me another one tomorrow, okay?
My boyfriend'll black my eyes
if I see another American.
Don't worry, they're always drunk,
and after.. nothing.
What I'd give for corned beef!
We've made one mistake in Sicily, dear
Genovese. We were too soft. - You're right!
The Colonel wants
the cooperation of all citizens
to end this scandal of the black market.
Severe penalties will be meted
out to the offenders.
A severe and strict rationing
will ensure with fairness
the aids that come from the
American people to the Italian people.
Viva America!
Viva Italia!
This makes 5 tons of wheat..
And 1000 drums of olive oil.
Look, "the bearer is authorized to
transport, buy and sell oil and wheat. "
"Not to be requisitioned. "
- Then we'll need aat least twenty trucks.
You name it, we got it.
But watch out for those drivers.
They're all black, they're all thieves.
They'll suck the gas out of your tanks.
Sonofabitch!
Here's a pass for the gasoline.
No name or limit. All that you want.
Fine.
We'd better unload at San Giuseppe,
the MPs went to Resina last night.
Burn the trucks afterward.
Leave no trace.
Hey, Mike, you gotta throw in the
Packard too, or the deal's off.
Take it. I gotta go back soon to
New York anyway. - OK, clear it!
Hey, what about these blacks?
Sell them with all their clothes.
Don't you have any shame in front
of the Americans? Get out of here!
Do you see this pretty blonde?
It's the first Packard to come to Italy.
Really?
- Want to try it?
Why, is it yours?
- Get on, let's go for a ride.
We must appoint a new magistrate and
a president for the Naples Bank. - Sure!
There's a lot of people with backings who
want to get into the act, but don't worry.
I made up a list of true antifascists,
real friends of America that
I personally guarantee.
Oh, by the way, I need more passes
to bring in oil, gas and everything else.
But the real problem
is to give electricity to the industries.
But those who want it
just gotta pay for it, right'?
This ain't Russia. We don't give it away.
Right, colonel? - Right!
You like the car'?
Keep it.
And by the way, tell us why you gave
Lucky Luciano his credentials
as a "useful" person.
From this document,
it appears that he's had such credentials
"for services rendered to the
armed forces of the United States. "
You released him from jail.
You could've also give him a medal!
We also gave you the aids of
the Marshall Plan, though!
Also from socialist countries
the morphine arrives to the U. S.
Yugoslavia, for one, is very good at
stopping small boats of Italian fishermen
the moment they enter its
territorial waters. But when..
But nobody notices certain
"whaling ships", like that owned by..
Mr. Rosario Mancino, from Palermo,
which lands on the Dalmation
coast every week!
Sit down, Charlie.
It's no use trying to put all
of the blame on the Italians.
This game isn't played in Rome or Naples..
But in New York and Washington.
What do you mean, Mr. Anslinger?
There's a campaign against us.
While you were chasing
Luciano around Italy,
here they're trying to discredit us
of the Narcotics Bureau.
They say we're paranoid, megalomaniacs,
who arrest people without proof.
And that we invented the whole story of
Luciano and of drug for political reasons.
What was invented is the absurd hogwash
on Luciano who won the war in Sicily.
But after the Kefauver investigation,
the Americans should know better.
Now the democrats are saying Dewey
allowed the drug ow into the U. S.
When he sprung Luciano from jail.
Dewey doesn't like any mention of the
Luciano matter and he's fighting back.
And with the republicans
back in power, Dewey now
has some very powerful friends.
The Attorney General, for one,
and.. and the Secretary of the Treasury,
to drop a few names.
And who do we have?
- Each other, Charlie.
So be careful.
Dewey is forming his own commission
to "investigate" Lucky Luciano.
So they say.
He's trying instead to prove that what
we told the Kefauver committee was a lie.
And that we have no real evidence
against Luciano in Italy.
So, Lucky's a war hero and we're
the villains. Who'll buy that crap?
The judges! The same judges
who are still on the bench.
The ones that Frank Costello
made appoint when he, Meyer Lasky
and Luciano were still
pulling strings in New York.
But now the republicans are in office.
The mafia makes no distinctions
between parties. They have no party.
They're always on the side of power.
During Truman's time they backed Truman,
and Dewey was fighting them.
Now Dewey has the power
and Kefauver is fighting them.
And where are we?
In the middle. And if we're not careful,
we'll be getting it from both sides.
So what do I do?
You keep on chasing Luciano..
And Dewey will keep on chasing us..
And Kefauver will chase after Dewey.
And when all of this
running around is over,
everyone will find himself back at the same
place, and everything will be as ever.
Not for everyone.
Not for Charles Lucky Luciano.
Bring me the dossier on Gene Giannini.
- Right away.
Thanks.
- You're welcome.
Gentlemen, here's Lucky Luciano.
I'm here. What do you wanna know'?
- Where were you all this time?
Did you escape from Italy?
- Who gave you a passport?
"Ah, what frenzy! One at a time, please!"
Is it true you owned all of
Cuba's gambling houses?
Let's go sit down, I've prepared a table.
Mr. Lucania, today at the UN,
they're talking about you, about drugs.
Who talks about drugs
is always the Narcotic Bureau!
And that Asslinger!
Anslinger.
Harry Anslinger,
the head of the Narcotics Bureau.
Asslinger!
He's German, protestant and a cop.
If a racketeer is mowed down,
it's Luciands fault.
If the Queen of England leaves her
husband, it's Luciano's fault.
If at a party people have fun,
and there must be.. how you say
in Italian, "stupefacente"? - Yeah.
And they point to Luciano!
But for all Luciano and drug
are by now the same thing.
I don't take any.
Yeah, but the scandal is
in every paper. Mr. Lucania,
they talked about it in the Congress,
in the U. S. Senate!
It's politics.
In America they should elect a president.
Dewey, a republican, is the best man.
So, the democrats
resumed the story that it was
he who pardoned me.
He pardoned you for helping the army.
Is it true that in 1943, they parachuted
you to prepare the invasion?
Never seen Sicily from above.
Never crossed on a plane.
I go there occasionally, by ship,
just to Palermo!
Where I got a sweets factory.
- Right. Filled chocolates.
The comfits.
And I soak in the sun, like in Capri!
- And the contraband?
From your return, Sicily has become the
headquarter for contraband of cigarettes.
Look:
I smoke cigarettes of state monopoly.
And I think I'm the only one in Naples.
You too, what do you smoke?
They have no evidence against me.
If there was even an inch of proof,
I'd be in jail in the blink of an eye!
Why hasn't the U. S. asked
for my extradition?
I'd be ready to go back,
even in handcuffs!
And defend myself.
- Even in handcuffs?
You want to go back to America?
You were born in Italy!
I came to America as a young boy,
I lived there for 30 years as a free man.
I was unjustly condemned by the false
evidence of pimps and prostitutes.
No respect for the rules!
But here in Italy,
it's like a persecution.
There are no rules. Here..
Here.. they don't even know what bail is!
It was during Prohibition. - Prohibition!
Another story of Jesuits like Asslinger!
People wanted to drink.
And someone had to give them
something to drink.
If it weren't for us, what
would the government have done?
Eh! You performed a public service!
Yes, we performed a public service.
That's why we gave all of
our support to Roosevelt.
He knew that a lot of things
had to be changed.
That's why in Chicago, we gave him
our vote. - You like politics then?
But not in Italy?
This is a poor country.
What politics can you do without business?
Why, Mr. Lucania,
your affairs in Italy go wrong?
Alone with my candy factory
in Palermo, I've lost $10,000.
How do you manage to live?
You spend lots of money,
at the racetrack you bet enormous sums.
I already explained this to
the Department of Finance.
I received a little help from
my friends in New York.
Even my car is a gift from them.
I'm not a rich man!
What about your living standard
expenses, the bodyguards?
What bodyguards? The police don't
lose sight of me for a minute!
Of course! You move around a lot:
Rome, Milan.
They even gave you a passport!
- You go abroad! - Excuse me!
I'm a free man.
The American government
has pardoned me.
Anyway, when I go to Capri,
there's the head of Interpol.
He looks after my security.
- Why, you mean that someone like you,
like Lucky Luciano, in America
would be left on the loose?
I can return to America head high!
And there I must return!
And for when I'll die..
I already bought my
family vault in Brooklyn.
Come in, sit down.
Sit.
And where the hell can I sit?
The trouble with you is
you're a cop and an asshole!
You should be like me: travel, hotels,
women. Just look at this ring!
You know what to do with it?
- What? - Stick it up your ass.
You like ass, don't you?
You see this?
This is Countess' ass.
You ever fucked a Countess?
Countesses in Italy are a dime a dozen.
And I don't care for whores.
Whore! '?
And take off your hat before a lady!
You know what?
What?
- Go fuck yourself!
What a vixen!
- The nuns taught her well!
Where'd you find that slut?
She may be a slut but she's a great fuck!
You know something, Charlie? I like you.
You and I..
Should go into business.
I'll get you started and afterward
I promise, you'll be thankful.
Good, so I can end up like you:
in prison or in a gutter full of holes.
No, that won't happen to me.
Of course not,
because we're protecting you.
But you better watch your step.
We know that you're a drug mule.
We know the scum you're connected to.
Sure.
Why, how do you think I should get
information for you? Cheers.
In the meantime, you're working
your own deals and give us crumbs.
Better than nothing, right?
Giannini, the info you give us on Turks
and Arabs is crap we already know.
But when I ask you about Luciano
you choke up. You shit your pants.
Who shits his pants?
Who scares me is yet to come!
Who told you about Luciano's
$50,000 in Naples? Me!
Yeah, so he paid a $4000 fine,
and left the courtroom laughing. Nice job!
Is that my fault?
Listen, leave me alone.
Let me do my thing in Italy and France,
and I'll show you who's Giannini!
You listen to me, now.
Keep on dealing penicillin, I don't
give a damn, the Italians need it.
But for counterfeit money you'll go in.
I can't help you, Italy lives on tourism.
Yeah.. - One final thing!
- What?
Don't forget what we want from you.
- What? - Lucky Luciano!
They're here.
Fuck you, Lucky!
Mr. Luciano, the Countess.
Igea, Mr. Giannini.
- A pleasure.
Want to rest up'?
One moment! Take this to my room.
After you. - I'll bring the camera.
I'll take some great pictures!
I'll drive, you've forgotten
the streets of Naples.
Mama mia, how much
trash you got in Naples!
Lucky, should we organize here too
a garbage racket like in New York?
Do you remember Tony Strollo?
This town stinks. How can you live here?
You know what you should do?
You should come with me,
we'll go to Paris or the Riviera.
I talked to my friends in Marseille.
What about the penicillin deal, yes or no?
Come see this!
You see what it is?
It looks like mine!
It's showing the short
way to the bordello.
Whorehouse'?
- Yes, wanna see it'?
Always!
- This way, it's the short way.
This the lupanare, an ancient bordello,
the oldest trade in the world.
The Romans were smart.
As Pompei was a cosmopolitan city,
not everyone could speak Latin.
Many visitors weren't able to ask
for what they wanted, therefore,
in every room, there was a fresco
exhibiting the different postures of love.
The first three positions you
see are the normal ones.
This one: the woman on top of the man.
- The "candle snuffer".
The second, a bit curious,
the Spanish position.
How do you do the Spanish position?
The woman with a leg
over the man's shoulder.
The third is very different.
The woman is in front, the man behind:
dog fashion.
Notice, up front, there was the maitresse,
making the relatives "tickets".
And two figures,
which I won't comment on.
The first, 69.
- Hey, 69! I never heard of that!
And the second, "against nature".
Fags! Fags!
In English, sodomy. - Sodomy! Sodomy!
You can see it with your eyes.
The last one is on the left
and the most unusual of all.
Hey, he has two?
How come?
What can I say? We weren't there.
Maybe he used one for the day
and the other for night.
Lucky him! He fixed his problems!
Observe this beautiful peristyle
surrounded by a portico,
which sewed as a convenient
promenade on rainy days,
and to give light to surrounding rooms.
It was here that the master of the house
used to take his afternoon siesta.
How long was the siesta?
Two, three or four hours..
Or something like that.
The slaves took care of the house chores,
while the master slept. - How many slaves?
About 20.
- 20!
Fuck, what a life!
You think you would've been a master'?
And now, continuing along the alley,
turning to the right at the end,
we'll visit another beautiful room
with erotic frescoes..
Lucky!
What about Marseille?
Have you decided?
You know I don't like to travel.
Even in America,
I didn't move around much.
Except to go to Florida
in the winter for vacation.
Always known places.
Here too, always in Naples.
Sometimes in Sicily.
With my people.
Or Milan.
For horseracing.
A lot of money can be made in Marseille.
My friends usually visit me for pleasure.
Not to do a job.
But for the tourism.
I'm sorry, Mr. Giannini,
but there's a warrant for your arrest.
Is this a joke?
- No.
It's a very specific charge.
Contraband.
- What?
Counterfeit money.
Counterfeit money?
You can't arrest me,
I'm an American citizen.
This is Italy.
You can call later!
Sit down, please.
I said sit down.
"I've been rotting for 3 months in jail,
not even a window, just an iron grate. "
"No air and no light.
The heat and mosquitoes eat me alive. "
"We're six in here, and we must all
go to the toilet in the same place. "
"it's a cesspool, here, night and day. "
"There's no room to move and
we can't even sleep in peace"
"because one must stay
awake to keep off the rats,"
"which are starved
and big enough to attack us. "
"The bedbugs are as big as cockroaches. "
"I must pay to have a little water
and some straw to lie on. "
"It cost me $50 just
to send you this letter. "
"Yours truly, etc., etc. "
Here in Italy, you're born in poverty.
Here, another letter from Gene.
This one's about you.
About Joe Picci and Frank Calace.
This letter can ruin you.
I'm supposed to give it to Siragusa,
but I'm giving it to you.
You must trust me!
Go on, tear it up!
You're supposed to give it to Siragusa?
That's what you'll do.
Want a lift?
Everything okay, after you left me
rotting there for a year!
Come here, I have to talk to you.
I got you out without trial.
Ajudge would've locked you up.
Were it for you, I could've died in there.
You could've got me out anytime.
You got to get one thing in your head:
It's the Italian police that nailed you.
They don't take orders
from an American cop.
I had to invent a story to get you out.
- Who the fuck invented one to get me in?
Not my fault. I warned you
not to mess with phony money.
And who told the border oops?
Maybe one of your friends.
Maybe it was Lucky Luciano!
No, no, Lucky wouldn't talk.
He's a man, he's not.. a snitch.
And what the fuck are you? You're not
a cop, nor a man. You're just a snitch!
Okay, I'm not a cop, I'm a snitch,
fuck off and leave me alone!
You want this passport'?
You got to earn it. - How?
Take a trip to New York,
with all expenses paid.
New York?
- That's right.
What for'?
To testify at a big case.
We need your evidence.
No!
No, no, no, no.
You stop the car! I get out here.
Use your head, Gene.
If you stay here without a passport,
they'll throw you out as an undesirable.
But in New York they'll kill me!
I've trying to save your ass,
but you talk too much.
How could I talk?
I've been in jail for a year.
You've a bad habit of writing letters.
- The only ones I wrote were to you.
What did you do with them?
- I got them.
But I told you not to trust that countess.
I know what you're trying to do.
You're trying to scare me,
to keep me on a string.
I'm not going to New York.
I'm going to stay here in Italy.
And I say you're not going to stay here.
I know a lot about you,
and it's better for you if I don't tell.
Here's your passport and
ticket for New York.
The plane leaves in an hour.
You'll be on it.
I don't know who's a bigger shit,
you or Luciano.
In early September of 1952,
Gene Giannini was back
from a trip to Italy,
where he did ten months in jail.
Tony Bender sent for me
for the biggest contract
I ever got from Cosa Nostra.
He took me out to dinner at Rocco's
on Thompson Street in Greenwich Village.
We chatted for a few minutes
and then he told me that..
Gene's been talking
to the Narcotics Bureau.
Vito Genovese got the word
straight from Lucky Luciano.
Lucky said that Giannini has been
talking to Narcotics for years..
And that he needs to be liquidated.
Him and anybody with him.
I telephoned Gene and told him
to meet at a bar, the Casbah.
I made up an excuse
that he owed me some money.
I went to meet him
and I took Joe Pagano with me.
He was new, Gene wouldn't have
known him. But a genius with a gun.
Giannini said he was broke
and that he couldn't pay me.
Skip it, I said. Let's just have some fun.
I had a girl come from the bar.
We had some drinks together then
I went out and left him with the gin.
The next night I took Pagano
and some of the boys
to see the gambling joint
where Giannini worked.
I told them the plan.
One of the boys would wait in
the car by the sidewalk a block away.
The other two would wait by the door.
I gave the order to throw
their guns in the East River.
I got in touch with Bender
and told him to tell Genovese,
Gene Giannini wouldn't pester him
more with the Narcotics Bureau.
Lucky Luciano could rest easy.
Want to bet with me?
Thanks, but I prefer to bet alone.
Don't move!
What the hell are you doing?
- Just one word.
I'll tell you what Lucky Luciano is
doing at the racecourse in Naples.
That's his office, you understand?
He controls the drug racket from there.
Lucky is the brain of the organization.
Like a king sitting on his throne
The big deal connections from New York
contact him at the races in Naples.
He then introduces them
to the Sicilian mobsters,
and the Corsican suppliers.
But he's never there when
a delivery is made.
He waits until later.
He gets his cut from both
the buyers and suppliers.
The money's deposited
in a bank in Switzerland,
in Luciands account.
Alright, Charlie.
But then what was that slap about?
Nothing! It has nothing to do with
heroin trafficking or contraband.
That was just some dumb guappo
showing off at Luciano's expense,
that's all.
International organization,
drugs, killers..
This we already know.
But the evidence is different.
This man never leaves Naples.
He goes out in the morning, walks
his dog, then plays a few races..
.. Now, after what you said, we'll try
to make the races off limits..
He's nice to everybody..
He gives to charity, is liked by shrewd
reporters, and even by some policemen.
And when I mentioned his past to a police
chief, I happened to get this reply:
"Yes, yes, we know that
he was sentenced for.."
"instigation to prostitution.
But what kind of crime would that be?"
"if a woman prostitutes herself,
she's a whore. "
"And we can't arrest a man
for a crime from 20 years ago. "
"But if he commits a crime in Italy... "
- Sure, but..
If he's really the brain, he's certainly
an exceptional man. One thing is sure:
After Luciano's return to Italy,
the mafia controlled all the drug traffic.
Which represents a revenue of
hundreds of millions of dollars
But then why we're not able
to arrest Lucky Luciano?
The answer is easy.
He takes no unnecessary risks.
He isolates himself.
So the police can never
catch him with the stuff.
He can sniff suspect types from a mile off.
That bastard Sicilian personifies the power
and the ability to corrupt of the Mafia.
But there are millions of honest Sicilians,
who have to pay for his sins.
That's why I hate the mafia.
That's why I won't give
Lucky Luciano a moment's peace!
From the files of a special parliamentary
commission on the mafia in Sicily.
In October 1957,
in the city of Palermo,
a series of high level meetings took place
between American and Sicilian mafiosi.
The presiding chairman was Lucky Luciano.
The purpose of the convention
was to enhance Sicily
as a transit area for drug trafficking
directed to North America.
Giuseppe Bonanno,
alias Joe Banana, born in Sicily,
American citizen,
head of the New York syndicate,
has come to Palermo to sign an agreement
between Cosa Nostra and the Sicilian mob.
And also to set the groundwork
for the Mafia reunion
which would take place a month later
in the Appalachian mountains in New York.
The Sicilian boss, Giuseppe Genco Russo,
participated in the convention at Palermo,
to guarantee compliance with the pacts
and order in the ranks of
the island's traffickers.
9 years later, 17 suspected mafia bosses
appeared in front of a judge accused
of forming a criminal association,
But only 5 were convicted:
Cami/lo Garante,
Giuseppe Scandariato,
Giuseppe Genco Russo,
John Bonventri,
Joe Banana.
A hundred years of good health!
Do you refuse to answer?
You've been asking me the same
questions for five hours.
And I only have the same answers.
Am I a witness or a defendant?
Governor Dewey appointed this
commission to investigate Lucky Luciano.
Aren't you an expert on Luciano?
I'm a Narcotics Bureau agent,
assigned to investigate
the drug traffic in Europe.
All that I know about Luciano
is submitted regularly
to my superior, Harry J. Anslinger.
Ask him for the reports in Washington.
You testified at the Kefauver committee
that Luciano was "king of narcotics...
I said that if he wasn't the king,
he was at least
a member of the royal family.
Where's the evidence for that?
I already told you.
It's very difficult to get
evidence against Luciano.
But behind every pinch we make:
Joe Picci, Frank Calace, Frank Coppola,
we find his shadow.
And everyone we caught red-handed,
were criminal associates of Luciano.
What do you mean "criminal associates"?
It means that every time
we caught someone,
he was unfailingly connected to Luciano.
In the Joe Biondo case.. - The Biondo
case was only about acetic anhydride.
Only?
Acetic anhydride is used
to convert morphine into heroin.
Luciano was never taken to trial
in Italy for drug trafficking.
It means they never had
evidence against him.
No, it only proves that his
accomplices haven't spoken,
out of respect or fear.
But our informers confirmed
that is Luciano the source of supply.
Like Giannini..
- Giannini's dead.
It's still not clear why he was killed.
If he stayed in Italy he'd still be alive.
Why did you force him to come to America?
I didn't force him! I just bought his
ticket and brought him to the airport.
Are you accusing me of Giannini's murder?
We must investigate everything.
And it's not bad if a cop gets to see
what it likes on that side of the table.
Yes. And it'd be a great experience
for judges and governors too.
Why don't we start with why
Luciano was released and sent to Italy?
I've all the documents here.
And the report of your colleague,
Agent White.
As usual you base everything on rumors
from gangsters who end up murdered.
White's informant is dead.
But Dewey's assistants who went to deal
with Luciano in jail are still alive.
They can tell you what they told me.
- And that is?
That Luciano had no information
that could help the US Navy.
The only thing he had to offer was
a fat check for Dewey's campaign.
You want to end up on trial for perjury?
You don't scare me, I tell the truth.
And I don't give a damn about politics.
And isn't it political when you
blame Luciano for your failure
and the failure of the Bureau
to not put a stop to this drug traffic?
It's easy to make accusations.
I'm convinced that Luciano is the head of
this racket. And one day we'll prove it!
What counts to us is evidence. Prove
it, and we'll ask for his extradition.
Since the Italians won't arrest him,
at least they'll send him back
to the US to face charges.
He already was in the US, in jail.
He should've been kept there.
Boys, let me pass.
Didn't you come inside?
Didn't you hear the mass'?
I heard it from here.
Inside, I was too much of a distraction.
But you need to see the priest.
Otherwise, it doesn't count.
It's like I'd seen him.
Don Ciccio, you love me.
You don't ask me too many questions.
And I, after the death of Igea,
I need people like you nearby.
Listen, Lucky.. between charity and the
hospital expenses, I'm drowned in debts.
Some friends would let me import
some German machines.
Like they have in the bar!
They say if you put in 100 lire,
you get out 1000. Or even 5000.
What do you think?
Don Ciccio, I've been in America.
Forget the machines.
It's not stuff for you.
This is the first time, I'm finding
myself face to face with Lucky Luciano.
Just now that they changed my assignment.
- How come?
The big shots in Washington
are afraid I'm digging too deep.
Isn't it disgusting those sailors asking
for that son of a bitch's autograph?
Who is if?
The police!
Open up!
Is Salvatore Lucania in?
- He's inside lying down.
Tell him we need to speak to him.
Come in.
He's waiting.
Good evening.
We have a search warrant.
Is that boy with you?
- Yes, he's one of our agents.
Would you like some whiskey?
No, we don't drink on service.
Then go ahead, search.
You want to bet I find something?
And this?
I've a license.
What's your name?
Marshal Schioppa.
You're a smart guy.
I'm taking this telegram.
If you want.
But you also need to join us.
The Finance inspector wants to see you.
At this hour'?
Yes, at this hour.
Well, what does this telegram mean?
I've been telling you all night.
What else can I say?
- Tell me again.
Now let's read the report.
"My connection with American writer,
Martin Goesh, presently living in Madrid,
"was for the sole purpose of
his writing a script on my life. "
"He telegraphed that
he was ying into Naples today"
"to return me the script. "
"The script bears my signature, but I
want to withdraw it from circulation. "
Is this true?
Well! Tell us everything you did yesterday,
after receiving this telegram.
Ask him!
He was glued to me all day.
It's better that you tell us.
Let's start again.
"On the 25th of this month at 1:00,
I went out to the California restaurant"
"and I ate with a friend,
Giuseppe De Meris, who lives in Naples"
"after having escaped from Cuba
where he was a croupier. "
"While eating, my friend Gigi Lombardi
came in, who owns a club in Taormina. "
"Gigi just came back from Spain, "
"where he had gone together with
Mr. and Mrs. Lo Marco of Miami. "
Your friends like to travel!
And coincidentally,
the tourism boom between
the U. S., Naples and Sicily
broke out since you established
yourself in Naples.
Now, then, it's the fad of bullfighting.
From Cuba, from Taonnina, from Miami...
Everybody passes through Spain,
and then meet up with you in Naples
and then back to New York.
Is that so?
If you say so.
"It was 2:00 when I left
Gigi at the California"
"who was about to go back to Sicily by car,
and I went to Agnano for the races. "
"At the hippodrome,
I met my friend Pasquale Eboli, "
alias Pat Ryan.
Eboli lives in Scisciano,
a village nearby.
He comes often to Naples.
It's only half an hour.
And he too is going to Spain,
to make a movie.
So they call him Pat Ryan,
as if he were an actor.
Siragusa always says that the milieu
of drugs is like in filmmaking.
Siragusa is an bastard.
Siragusa loves you.
He always speaks of you.
Siragusa is an bastard!
You can tell him from me.
Siragusa looks like you.
Talks and acts just like you.
Between him and you, we haven't
had peace in 10 years in Italy!
You mean because he's Sicilian,
he's like me'?
Just like..
The chief prosecutor
of the Republic at Palermo,
Scaglione!
Just like..
The chief of police.
All Sicilians.
And me, like a lot of people,
I'm a peaceful man and bother no one!
It's only that bastard who
puts these things in your head!
And yet he was right about the Canapa
brothers and we caught them red-handed.
And soon we'll get also
those who are in Spain.
And before long,
you too will remain in the net.
It's all a hoax of Charley Siragusa.
The Canapa brothers..
Were arrested three months prior.
But the judge in Rome..
Freed them.
I had nothing to do with it.
But your partner, Antonino Sorci, did.
We have documents.
They created a financial company together,
in Rome.
Proof, you need proof! You need
a notary to form a company in Italy.
We found that notary.
The same one you used in Palermo
to buy the Orleans park,
together with Sorci and Mancino.
Is it a crime now to buy a little land?
More than 160,000 square meters!
And all building land..
With the permits of the City of Palermo.
If the City of Palermo gives permits,
it means it's legal.
Also the university was one of the buyers.
As well as a few
Christian Democrat politicians.
Things have changed, Lucky.
If you still hope in political backings,
you're gravely mistaken.
What politics?
Here, I don't even know
the chief of the traffic cops.
In America, I did politics.
But face to face with President Roosevelt!
Never mind Roosevelt..
And let's return to your friend..
Pasquale Eboli, eh?
"Eboli in New York owned
a barbershop with his brother
and some other business,
of which now I can't recall the kind. "
Do you remember what
kind of business it was?
"Pasquale Eboli told me of
a factory producing formica
and wanted to set up
a chain of stores in Italian cities.
While Gigi Lombardi spoke of setting
up a club in Rome with the Lo Marco's
who had returned from Miami with
the earnings of their business..
Of which, right now,
I can't recall the kind. "
Let me see if I can help you out. Eh?
Could it be like that factory you set up
in Palermo in '46 with your pal Vizzini,
"Don Calb", dismantled in one night
and vanished with 3 tons of comfits?
Or maybe canned sardines?
Like that of Nick Gentile, eh?
Or a cheese factory?
Like with Carlos Marcello in Tunis?
Or like the tomatoes for the Mama Mia
company of Joseph Profaci in New York?
Or maybe a factory for bouillon cubes?
Vegetable bouillon for export.
Like the one of Frank Coppola in Pomezia.
From there were shipped to Sicily
crates crammed with heroin.
You think I'm stupid, Lucky Luciano'?
We've arrested 40 people
here and in America.
We caught them with both money and drugs.
All of your friends!
Only three escaped to Spain,
because American justice let them out
on bail. A fine system that country has!
And since then you receive calls
or telegrams from Spain everyday,
from Madrid or Barcelona!
And then they meet you, "by chance",
at the races or in restaurants, to talk
about fonnica, dancing halls or horses..
What is it? Hey!
What's with you? You feel sick?
You want a coffee?
I don't drink coffee.
I don't smoke anymore.
Give me a glass of water, please.
Get him a glass of water.
Some old scars from your friends, eh?
No, not from friends.
From "cops".
The New York policemen.
Anyway, it's not the scars.
I've plefY-
I've had two heart attacks.
Can I go to the toilet?
I'll go with you.
Once, in America,
you gave a certain address..
And police found a case of heroin.
That time I told what I knew.
Today I know nothing.
You can talk to me.
I have my own ideas about you.
And they're a little
different than Siragusa's.
It'd be worth it to you.
It'd be worth it to you.
And your career.
To you..
To Asslinger, Siragusa,
the Generals, the police chief..
And it's worth it to the politicians.
To distract the people..
Who know nothing,
and will never understand anything!
Politics, when it suits,
also uses the criminals and, as you say,
the mafiosi!
Sorry, but I can't be of use.
Make him sign it and then take him
to the airport to pick up that American.
And then, do we arrest them both?
- If you find drugs.
If not, seize the script
and send it to Siragusa.
Ah, finally! You're something else now!
You seemed dead before.
Look at yourself.
Stand back!
Who're you?
- Police.
Get a doctor!
So what do I do?
You keep on chasing Luciano..
And Dewey will keep on chasing us..
And Kefauver will chase after Dewey.
And when all of this
running around is over,
everyone will find himself back at the same
place, and everything will be as ever.
Ah, Charlie, Charlie!