The FBI and the Banana War

[Ed]

This is a speculative post.


In June 1967, the FBI complained that informer Bill Bonanno was avoiding his FBI handlers in an internal memo. Bonanno, the son of crime boss Joseph Bonanno, had been sharing Intel with federal agents for a few years, but recently he had been ducking them.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... pective%22

The memo implied the FBI wanted Bonanno to continue fighting (they don't use those words) because he had the potential "to rise to the head" of the Bonanno Crime Family and could "eventually gain a seat on the 'Commission'." I imagine HQ was salivating at the prospect of a Mafia boss informer.

The memo suggested that Bill Bonanno had lost his enthusiasm for the "Banana War" and was willing to come to some accommodation with his rivals that precluded him from leading the crime family. (Books later written by Gay Talese, Bill and Rosalie Bonanno also suggest Bonanno had lost enthusiasm at this time.)

(To be fair, it's possible to read the document the opposite way, and that Bill Bonanno was avoiding the FBI because he was in war mode and planning attacks against his rivals and didn't want to be hampered by his relationship with the FBI.)

As a result, the FBI wanted Bonanno's former trusted handler, SA Robert Anderson, to meet with him to mend the relationship. The FBI wanted Anderson to "instil in [Bonanno] the proper perspective," and maximize his "optimum effectiveness." In addition, federal agents hoped the meeting would lay the "groundwork for accelerated activity on [Bonanno's] part in the interest of the Bureau."

It's unclear if Bonanno met with Anderson or any federal agent in the period directly after this memo.

However, five months later, in November 1967, mobsters, allegedly on orders of Bill and Joe Bonanno, committed the most egregious violence of the "Banana War" by gunning down three rivals at the Cypress Gardens restaurant.

Did the FBI (inadvertently perhaps) encourage Bonanno's violence by pressuring him to fight for control of the crime family? Or would Bonanno have done it anyways in response to violence from his rivals? (A few weeks earlier, the rebel faction had murdered two Bonanno loyalists.) It's worth exploring what role, if any, the FBI had in prolonging the "Banana War" beyond its natural limit.

Without getting political, I believe you can make a case that certain elements in American federal law enforcement have on occasion encouraged criminal informers to do things that perhaps they otherwise wouldn't have done. Greg Scarpa's actions in Mississippi are a good example.

[thekiduknow]

Good writeup Ed.

It's hard to believe that Bill lost his enthusiasm, since a contemporary FBI reports have him and Joseph "refusing to step aside", splitting the family into three groups, Sciacca, Zicarelli, and Bonanno. And, I personally think Joseph and Bill would have had D'Angelo killed regardless of FBI pressure. The wounding Vincent Cassese(Genovese member if I remember correctly) and Vincent Garofalo was one thing, but D'Angelo was on Bonanno's side a few times during the split. Sciacca making him consigliere might have been an attempt to bring some other loyalists back into the family, and Joseph and Bill saw an opportunity.

There was another Bonanno member informing(NY 4336-C-TE) at this time who was close to Frank Mari, close to the labor rackets, and had knowledge of the Lower East Side. Any idea who that could be?

[OlBlueEyesClub]

Good writeup Ed.

It's hard to believe that Bill lost his enthusiasm, since a contemporary FBI reports have him and Joseph "refusing to step aside", splitting the family into three groups, Sciacca, Zicarelli, and Bonanno. And, I personally think Joseph and Bill would have had D'Angelo killed regardless of FBI pressure. The wounding Vincent Cassese(Genovese member if I remember correctly) and Vincent Garofalo was one thing, but D'Angelo was on Bonanno's side a few times during the split. Sciacca making him consigliere might have been an attempt to bring some other loyalists back into the family, and Joseph and Bill saw an opportunity.

There was another Bonanno member informing(NY 4336-C-TE) at this time who was close to Frank Mari, close to the labor rackets, and had knowledge of the Lower East Side. Any idea who that could be?

Zicarelli group? I’m thinking he was neutral and had no qualms in the conflict, certainly not enough to have a “group”. There’s convo from him and Sam DeCalvacante that the feds picked up on wiretap when they had DeCalvacante’s plumbing company offices bugged. He sounds pretty confused and doesn’t think the commission had the right to interfere with Joe Bonannos decision making when it came to his personal borgata. And for much of the conversation DeCalvacante was telling him details and what the commission was relaying to Bonanno, because Zicarelli was pretty much in the dark on the overall conflict.

[thekiduknow]

Good writeup Ed.

It's hard to believe that Bill lost his enthusiasm, since a contemporary FBI reports have him and Joseph "refusing to step aside", splitting the family into three groups, Sciacca, Zicarelli, and Bonanno. And, I personally think Joseph and Bill would have had D'Angelo killed regardless of FBI pressure. The wounding Vincent Cassese(Genovese member if I remember correctly) and Vincent Garofalo was one thing, but D'Angelo was on Bonanno's side a few times during the split. Sciacca making him consigliere might have been an attempt to bring some other loyalists back into the family, and Joseph and Bill saw an opportunity.

There was another Bonanno member informing(NY 4336-C-TE) at this time who was close to Frank Mari, close to the labor rackets, and had knowledge of the Lower East Side. Any idea who that could be?

Zicarelli group? I’m thinking he was neutral and had no qualms in the conflict, certainly not enough to have a “group”. There’s convo from him and Sam DeCalvacante that the feds picked up on wiretap when they had DeCalvacante’s plumbing company offices bugged. He sounds pretty confused and doesn’t think the commission had the right to interfere with Joe Bonannos decision making when it came to his personal borgata. And for much of the conversation DeCalvacante was telling him details and what the commission was relaying to Bonanno, because Zicarelli was pretty much in the dark on the overall conflict.

In June of 1967, an informant broke down the family into three groups: 45 members under Paul Sciacca, 65 members under Joseph Zicarelli, and “approximately” 65 under Bill Bonanno. Earlier in May, it was reported that DeCavalcante, Zicarelli, and Caruso were meeting to discuss Bill, who “has not been accepting LCN discipline and the old timers are concerned about the belligerency of Billy and his close associates" which lead to the family getting broken into the three groups.

Zicarelli was originally on Bonanno's side, but went over to DiGregorio. Mike Consolo took over part of Joe Notaro's old crew, and Zicarelli was under him in 1965, but might have been promoted to captain at some point after. However, by May 1966, Zicarelli, Caruso and Dominick Sabella were reported to have met to discuss replacing DiGregorio with Zicarelli, with Caruso as his advisor.

So, Zicarelli seems to have been a contender for boss, and might have had a following among the more neutral members of the family. However, he seems to have faced pressure from Bonanno to come over to his side, possibly as a puppet to try and regain control of the family.

[OlBlueEyesClub]

His operations were always rumored to be large for a Jersey guy, but 65 underlings seems a lot for a Jersey based captain. Think the DeCalvacante tapes I’m referring to are from earlier, either ‘64 or ‘65, in one conversation DeCalvacante breaks news to him that the Commission wasn’t recognizing Joe any longer, his son Bill, and Johnny Morales. Some of what Bayonne says in response seems to imply he was under the impression the Commission really had no right to interfere with Bonannos decisions on his group. Wonder how he essentially went from being not even knowing about the Commissions feelings on Bonanno to being a candidate to head the family.

[thekiduknow]

His operations were always rumored to be large for a Jersey guy, but 65 underlings seems a lot for a Jersey based captain. Think the DeCalvacante tapes I’m referring to are from earlier, either ‘64 or ‘65, in one conversation DeCalvacante breaks news to him that the Commission wasn’t recognizing Joe any longer, his son Bill, and Johnny Morales. Some of what Bayonne says in response seems to imply he was under the impression the Commission really had no right to interfere with Bonannos decisions on his group. Wonder how he essentially went from being not even knowing about the Commissions feelings on Bonanno to being a candidate to head the family.

Yeah, at first Zicarelli had trouble understanding the mechanics of the Commission interjecting themselves into the family.

In terms of Zicarelli's reputation, an informant(I believe it was Bill Bonanno) said this about him "PC advised that Zicarelli, who has had the reputation of being extremely capable, had been very well respected when he was under Bonanno. PC advised that Zicarelli never wielded much authority, but was very successful."

During the chaotic DiGregorio years, he might have been seen as a more stable choice to succeed DiGregorio, neither full with Bonanno nor with DiGregorio/Sciacca. But thats speculation on my part based on what I've seen.

[Ed]

Good writeup Ed.

It's hard to believe that Bill lost his enthusiasm, since a contemporary FBI reports have him and Joseph "refusing to step aside", splitting the family into three groups, Sciacca, Zicarelli, and Bonanno. And, I personally think Joseph and Bill would have had D'Angelo killed regardless of FBI pressure. The wounding Vincent Cassese(Genovese member if I remember correctly) and Vincent Garofalo was one thing, but D'Angelo was on Bonanno's side a few times during the split. Sciacca making him consigliere might have been an attempt to bring some other loyalists back into the family, and Joseph and Bill saw an opportunity.

There was another Bonanno member informing(NY 4336-C-TE) at this time who was close to Frank Mari, close to the labor rackets, and had knowledge of the Lower East Side. Any idea who that could be?

Yes, you certainly might be correct. Maybe FBI pressure was irrelevant to Bill Bonanno's actions.

I've been trying to unmask NY 4336 for some time with no luck.

Not to get too far afield, but I've been watching Sammy Gravano's videos on why he and Frank DeCiccio participated in Paul Castellano's murder.

Some on the board have speculated that DeCiccio was an FBI informer. If true, I wonder how Deciccio's confidential relationship with the FBI influenced his decision to join the murder conspiracy. How did DeCiciccio explain his participation afterward to his FBI handler?

[Villain]

Thanks Ed. Dont know how true is this but I remember back in the days it was also discussed that Bill allegedly asked for help or had a meeting with Paul Ricca and so the Outfit allegedly stood away from the conflict or solved the situation or maybe even took a side...i dont know if it came from Bills book or somebody else but still, just my two cents

[OlBlueEyesClub]

Chicago can seem like it’s own entity at times when compared to the typical LCN family. This was even more so in the 60s. Would Chicago have even understood in the intricacies that went into the whole banana war, and in terms of bosses rights within their families and things? Seems unlikely, to me.

[Frank]

Thanks Ed. Dont know how true is this but I remember back in the days it was also discussed that Bill allegedly asked for help or had a meeting with Paul Ricca and so the Outfit allegedly stood away from the conflict or solved the situation or maybe even took a side...i dont know if it came from Bills book or somebody else but still, just my two cents

Was Giancana on Bonannos supposed hit list.

[Pogo The Clown]

I don't think so.


Pogo

[Villain]

Thanks Ed. Dont know how true is this but I remember back in the days it was also discussed that Bill allegedly asked for help or had a meeting with Paul Ricca and so the Outfit allegedly stood away from the conflict or solved the situation or maybe even took a side...i dont know if it came from Bills book or somebody else but still, just my two cents

Was Giancana on Bonannos supposed hit list.

Nope but later it was the other way around or after Giancana learned about Bonannos alleged plot in NY. Giancana allegedly pushed other commission bosses to give the ok for Bonannos contract but as we all know they never did.

[davidf1989]

This is a speculative post.


In June 1967, the FBI complained that informer Bill Bonanno was avoiding his FBI handlers in an internal memo. Bonanno, the son of crime boss Joseph Bonanno, had been sharing Intel with federal agents for a few years, but recently he had been ducking them.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... pective%22

The memo implied the FBI wanted Bonanno to continue fighting (they don't use those words) because he had the potential "to rise to the head" of the Bonanno Crime Family and could "eventually gain a seat on the 'Commission'." I imagine HQ was salivating at the prospect of a Mafia boss informer.

The memo suggested that Bill Bonanno had lost his enthusiasm for the "Banana War" and was willing to come to some accommodation with his rivals that precluded him from leading the crime family. (Books later written by Gay Talese, Bill and Rosalie Bonanno also suggest Bonanno had lost enthusiasm at this time.)

(To be fair, it's possible to read the document the opposite way, and that Bill Bonanno was avoiding the FBI because he was in war mode and planning attacks against his rivals and didn't want to be hampered by his relationship with the FBI.)

As a result, the FBI wanted Bonanno's former trusted handler, SA Robert Anderson, to meet with him to mend the relationship. The FBI wanted Anderson to "instil in [Bonanno] the proper perspective," and maximize his "optimum effectiveness." In addition, federal agents hoped the meeting would lay the "groundwork for accelerated activity on [Bonanno's] part in the interest of the Bureau."

It's unclear if Bonanno met with Anderson or any federal agent in the period directly after this memo.

However, five months later, in November 1967, mobsters, allegedly on orders of Bill and Joe Bonanno, committed the most egregious violence of the "Banana War" by gunning down three rivals at the Cypress Gardens restaurant.

Did the FBI (inadvertently perhaps) encourage Bonanno's violence by pressuring him to fight for control of the crime family? Or would Bonanno have done it anyways in response to violence from his rivals? (A few weeks earlier, the rebel faction had murdered two Bonanno loyalists.) It's worth exploring what role, if any, the FBI had in prolonging the "Banana War" beyond its natural limit.

Without getting political, I believe you can make a case that certain elements in American federal law enforcement have on occasion encouraged criminal informers to do things that perhaps they otherwise wouldn't have done. Greg Scarpa's actions in Mississippi are a good example.

Did Joe Bonanno's know that his son Bill was informing to the FBI?

It seems that Carlo Gambino was encouraging dissent within the Bonanno crime family from the article below.

https://theblackhand.club/2020/05/15/ ... anana-war/

Joe Bonanno was also an associate of Frank Bompensiero who would turn out to be a FBI informant. Here is an article about Joe Bonano and his sons below

https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a ... ou-peters/

[Ed]

This is a speculative post.


In June 1967, the FBI complained that informer Bill Bonanno was avoiding his FBI handlers in an internal memo. Bonanno, the son of crime boss Joseph Bonanno, had been sharing Intel with federal agents for a few years, but recently he had been ducking them.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... pective%22

The memo implied the FBI wanted Bonanno to continue fighting (they don't use those words) because he had the potential "to rise to the head" of the Bonanno Crime Family and could "eventually gain a seat on the 'Commission'." I imagine HQ was salivating at the prospect of a Mafia boss informer.

The memo suggested that Bill Bonanno had lost his enthusiasm for the "Banana War" and was willing to come to some accommodation with his rivals that precluded him from leading the crime family. (Books later written by Gay Talese, Bill and Rosalie Bonanno also suggest Bonanno had lost enthusiasm at this time.)

(To be fair, it's possible to read the document the opposite way, and that Bill Bonanno was avoiding the FBI because he was in war mode and planning attacks against his rivals and didn't want to be hampered by his relationship with the FBI.)

As a result, the FBI wanted Bonanno's former trusted handler, SA Robert Anderson, to meet with him to mend the relationship. The FBI wanted Anderson to "instil in [Bonanno] the proper perspective," and maximize his "optimum effectiveness." In addition, federal agents hoped the meeting would lay the "groundwork for accelerated activity on [Bonanno's] part in the interest of the Bureau."

It's unclear if Bonanno met with Anderson or any federal agent in the period directly after this memo.

However, five months later, in November 1967, mobsters, allegedly on orders of Bill and Joe Bonanno, committed the most egregious violence of the "Banana War" by gunning down three rivals at the Cypress Gardens restaurant.

Did the FBI (inadvertently perhaps) encourage Bonanno's violence by pressuring him to fight for control of the crime family? Or would Bonanno have done it anyways in response to violence from his rivals? (A few weeks earlier, the rebel faction had murdered two Bonanno loyalists.) It's worth exploring what role, if any, the FBI had in prolonging the "Banana War" beyond its natural limit.

Without getting political, I believe you can make a case that certain elements in American federal law enforcement have on occasion encouraged criminal informers to do things that perhaps they otherwise wouldn't have done. Greg Scarpa's actions in Mississippi are a good example.

Did Joe Bonanno's know that his son Bill was informing to the FBI?

It seems that Carlo Gambino was encouraging dissent within the Bonanno crime family from the article below.

https://theblackhand.club/2020/05/15/bo ... anana-war/

Joe Bonanno was also an associate of Frank Bompensiero who would turn out to be a FBI informant. Here is an article about Joe Bonano and his sons below

https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a ... ou-peters/

I don't believe that Joe knew what his son was doing. The evidence suggests the FBI persuaded Bill to talk after his father was "kidnapped," and he was emotionally vulnerable and fearful for his own life.

Certain elements on the Commission definitely encouraged dissent within the Bonanno Crime Family.

[davidf1989]

Thanks for your information Ed and could Joe Bonnano have formed his own crime family while he was living in Arizona?