don-shunter wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 3:06 am
I wonder why Neil dellacroce never became boss if you go with what this informant claimed that Castellano and Gallo were prepared to let Neil become boss? Something must have happened between October 76 and November 76 to change castellanos mind and make him want the job and for Neil to let him take it unopposed.
Neil didn’t want it. In the late 60s, he was manuevering to try to unseat Carlo not in favor of himself, but to put Joe N. Gallo on the throne. There is no indication that Neil ever wanted to be Boss. His underlings might’ve wanted that (for obvious reasons), but let’s remember that John Gotti’s partisans are the ones who have largely written the history.
Even if he had wanted it, he was not in a good position to take it in 1976:
He had just spent the last four years in prison,
Charlie Wagons, his top Capo, was having legal problems and was slowing down toward retirement
John Gotti was in jail in 1976
He wasn’t exactly in any position for warfare even if that would’ve been his inclination
Paul Castellano had a massive crew; He had the support of the majority of the Captains; he likely had the support of the other Bosses also; He had spent the last 9 years as Acting Boss and securing a power base; had the support of Joe N. Gallo (and thus his partisans also) to take over as Gallo didn’t want it himself.
So he had the political support, and the firepower.
As early as 1967, an informant confidently stated that Paul would “undoubtedly” be the next Boss, and ruled out Neil as being the Boss. His star had been on the rise since Applachin.
If Neil had contested it to the point of war in 1976, he and his faction would’ve lost.