The Real Thing - Joseph Valachi

[aleksandrored]

I don't know if it has already been posted here, if it has already been apologized.

You've seen it guys, it's incredible:

http://mafiahistory.us/a023/therealthing.htm

[Tonyd621]

I seen it. Its an overwhelming amount of information. Idk how in the hell im going to parse through it. You are right. It is incredible.

[B.]

They've done a great service putting all of this online.

If you compare Valachi's senate testimony to his book and then to the Real Thing notes, there are a few things he either elaborates more on or tells differently. Nothing intentionally dishonest... with the wealth of info he provided there are bound to be small differences in what he says or how he tells things.

- In his book for example he doesn't really explain why he was told to transfer to the Genovese family except that it would provide him protection after Maranzano's death. In his senate testimony, though, he says one of the reasons for the transfer was because he was having problems as a non-Sicilian with the Sicilians in his previous family. Some of us suspected that his move to the heavily Neapolitan Genovese faction was not a coincidence, but he doesn't go into that in the book. In the testimony he makes it clear ethnicity was a factor in leaving the heavily Sicilian families he had been under.

- In his initial FBI interviews, he also says that he tried to transfer back to the Lucchese family after he joined the Genovese family but Luciano denied the request. I don't think he mentions that in his book, does he? In the book he talks about how he volunteered to stay under Maranzano after the war, which Lucchese (rightfully) objected to, but he insisted on staying with Maranzano. Based on this, though, it appears he did try to return to the Lucchese family after Maranzano's death and the Genovese transfer.

^^^ You can see where Maranzano was already stepping on his allies' toes when the war ended. The Gagliano group recruited Valachi, proposed him for membership, and even though everyone deferred to Maranzano during the war, we know from Gentile that transferring membership was not a casual process even though it was more common then. Maranzano had no "right" to simply ask random members if they wanted to join his family after the war. Tommy Lucchese told Valachi there had been a "mistake" and I think that word is telling, as Lucchese understood Maranzano broke the rules and that Valachi was clueless about the politics of membership. Maranzano didn't give the former Schiro members the option of transferring to Gagliano, he simply stole "capable" people (at least one that we know of) who had been recruited by the Gagliano group.

Anyway, having the Real Thing online adds so much more detail to everything Valachi talked about elsewhere. I'm enjoying combing through everything that has been added. I actually find all of the tangents in his life story entertaining to read...

[Antiliar]

Thanks to Thomas Hunt for all of his work and Lennert for his contribution.

[B.]

Thanks to Thomas Hunt for all of his work and Lennert for his contribution.

Yes, I'm glad you gave specific credit. They deserve it.

[alfredlion]

This is great, I am interested to read these. I've always had the feeling that the FBI used Valachi to get illegally gathered intel into the public record, by feeding him info gleaned from illegal bugs-essentially information laundering. Especially in regards to info about LCN outside of New York. He never struck me as someone who would have such expansive knowledge. It will be interesting to see what he chose to write about.

[PolackTony]

Very cool. I hadn’t realized that Valachi knew Jim Emery, who he describes here as a “my friend” and a “Lt. in the Chicago family” (528).

Relatedly, Valachi is fuzzy when he refers to what he calls the “Lt.” position. While it’s mostly used clearly to refer to a capodecina (Emery, Strollo), at one point Valachi states that under Masseria there had only been a boss and underboss but no “Lt.”, which was then instituted by Maranzano, making it seem like he’s referring to the consigliere.

[CornerBoy]

what is this? is this his book?

[davidf1989]

Was Tony Bender Valachi's boss and who murdered Bender?

[Pogo The Clown]

Was Tony Bender Valachi's boss and who murdered Bender?

Yeah he was Valachi's Capo. As far as I'm aware it is unknown who actually killed him. His body still hasn't been recovered 60 years later.


Pogo

[davidf1989]

Was Tony Bender Valachi's boss and who murdered Bender?

Yeah he was Valachi's Capo. As far as I'm aware it is unknown who actually killed him. His body still hasn't been recovered 60 years later.


Pogo

Thanks Pogo and how many hits was Bender and Valachi involved with?

[johnny_scootch]

Relatedly, Valachi is fuzzy when he refers to what he calls the “Lt.” position. While it’s mostly used clearly to refer to a capodecina (Emery, Strollo), at one point Valachi states that under Masseria there had only been a boss and underboss but no “Lt.”, which was then instituted by Maranzano, making it seem like he’s referring to the consigliere.

He misinterpreted things because he lacked knowledge of the true workings early on. Since he was recruited during a conflict normal protocols weren’t being followed and it was only after things returned to normal did he realize how things worked but he thought Maranzano instituted these changes when really it was just a return to the way things were prior to the conflict.

Some of the other more knowledgeable guys could probably explain this better. B, Chris Christie and the like.

It was interesting to find out that it was Valachi who brought in and vouched for Ettore Coco with the Gagliano Family.

[Pogo The Clown]

Thanks Pogo and how many hits was Bender and Valachi involved with?

Don't know about Strollo. Valachi was involved in a few. Going from memory at least 4 or 5. He talks about them in his book. Plus he killed that guy in prison because he thought he was a hitter out to kill him.


Pogo

[Ed]

Was Tony Bender Valachi's boss and who murdered Bender?

Yeah he was Valachi's Capo. As far as I'm aware it is unknown who actually killed him. His body still hasn't been recovered 60 years later.


Pogo

I believe an FBI listening device tied Anthony Russo to Bender's murder.

[Eld]

According to Harold Konigsberg, Giuseppe Sabato drove Tony Bender to a parking lot in Fort Lee where he was killed by Tommy Eboli and Dominick DeQuatro and that the body was buried on a farm in upstate NY, althrough Konigsberg claimed he wasn't involved himself.