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Mafia, 1946 Havana Conference.

Mafia, 1946 Havana Conference.

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Mafia, 1946 Havana Conference.
The 1946 Havana Conference was a pivotal December 22–26 summit of U.S. Mafia leaders, convened by Charles "Lucky" Luciano at the Hotel Nacional in Cuba. It solidified the Mafia's control over gambling and narcotics trafficking in Havana, reinforced Luciano’s leadership, and addressed the handling of Bugsy Siegel’s failing Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.

- Key Organizer: Charles "Lucky" Luciano, who was in exile after being released from prison on the condition he leave the U.S..

- Significance: Considered the most important organized crime summit since the 1929 Atlantic City Conference, strengthening the National Crime Syndicate's postwar strategies.

- Key Issues Discussed:Cuba Expansion: Expanding illegal casino and hotel operations to turn Havana into a major gambling hub with the support of Cuban leadership.

- Narcotics Trade: Controlling the heroin and cocaine trade routes passing through Cuba to the U.S..

- Bugsy Siegel: Confronting Siegel regarding his poor management of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and the suspicion of him stealing money.

- Major Attendees: Along with Luciano, the conference included major figures like Meyer Lansky (who managed the Cuban business interests), Frank Costello, Vito Genovese, and various bosses from New York, Chicago, and New Orleans.

- Outcome: Luciano was reaffirmed as the supreme leader ("Boss of Bosses") and immediately rejected a takeover bid by Vito Genovese. Following pressure from the U.S. government, the Cuban government ultimately deported Luciano back to Italy in February 1947.Copyright Popular Culture and Religion. Biographies & Memoirs True Crime
Episodes
  • 06 - Havana Conference attendees.

    06 - Havana Conference attendees.
    Mar 31 2026
    Havana Conference attendees.
    List of the organized crime figures who attended the Havana Conference on December 20, 1946 at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba.

    Hosts:
    - Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, former Luciano family boss, former chairman, founder and member of the Commission. Luciano was living in Naples, Italy. After the meeting he was named United States’ boss of bosses.
    - Meyer "The Little Man" Lansky, Jewish Syndicate boss, a top financial and gambling operations advisor for the Italian mafia in America and casino operations front man (Las Vegas, Cuba, Bahamas).

    New York-New Jersey delegation:
    - Frank "The Prime Minister" Costello, Luciano family boss, Commission member.
    - Gaurino "Willie Moore" Moretti, Luciano family underboss.
    - Salvatore “The Pope” Pellegrino, Luciano family consigliere and future front boss.
    - Vito "Don Vito" Genovese, Luciano family caporegime and future boss.
    - Giuseppe "Joe Adonis" Doto, Luciano family caporegime.
    - Anthony "Little Augie Pisano" Carfano, Luciano family caporegime.
    - Michele "Big Mike" Miranda, Luciano family caporegime and future consigliere.
    - Albert "The Mad Hatter" Anastasia, Mangano family underboss and future boss.
    - Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, Bonanno family boss, charter Commission member.
    - Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese, Gagliano family underboss and future boss.
    - Giuseppe "The Old Man" Profaci, Profaci family boss, charter Commission member.
    - Giuseppe "Fat Joe" Magliocco, Profaci family underboss.

    Chicago delegation:
    - Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo, Chicago Outfit boss, Commission member.
    - Charles "Trigger Happy" Fischetti, Chicago Outfit consigliere.
    - Sam Giancana, Chicago Outfit front boss.

    Buffalo delegation:
    - Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino, Buffalo family boss, charter Commission member.

    New Orleans delegation:
    - Carlos "Little Man" Marcello, New Orleans family boss (some mob historians[who?] dispute his position at this time).

    Tampa delegation:
    - Santo "Louie Santos" Trafficante Jr., Tampa family caporegime, moved to Havana in 1946 to oversee La Cosa Nostra and Tampa family casino and business interests, future Tampa family boss.
    Jewish Syndicate delegation:
    - Abner "Longy" Zwillman, New Jersey Jewish Syndicate boss, National Syndicate Commission member.
    - Morris "Moe" Dalitz, Cleveland Jewish Syndicate boss, casino front man (Desert Inn, Las Vegas).
    - Joseph "Doc" Stacher, New Jersey Jewish Syndicate boss, casino front man (Sands Hotel, Las Vegas).
    - Philip "Dandy Phil" Kastel, Jewish Syndicate boss, Frank Costello's Louisiana slots operations and Tropicana Casino, Las Vegas partner.

    Entertainment:
    - Frank Sinatra.

    Sidenote.
    While Luciano knew that Vito Genovese had tipped off the U.S. government to his whereabouts in Cuba, he did not live to learn that it was "Joe Bananas" Bonanno who revealed to New York City newspapers as to Luciano's whereabouts in Cuba in February 1947. Joseph Bonanno was a respected and feared Don, who was ruthless, ambitious and had aspired to being crowned capo di tutti capi (boss of all bosses) like his former boss and mentor Salvatore Maranzano. This information of Joseph Bonanno's treachery was picked up by former FBI agent William Roemer, who was given the information by several of his former FBI colleagues. Bill Roemer details this on pages 132-42 in his 1990 book, War of the Godfathers.

    In popular culture.
    The film The Godfather Part II has an homage to the Havana Conference when Michael Corleone travels to Havana to have a meeting with several other mob bosses.
    Bugsy also has the climactic debate and decision on whether to and when to execute Bugsy Siegel set at the Hotel Nacional.


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    5 mins
  • 05 - Lucky and Don Vito.

    05 - Lucky and Don Vito.
    Mar 31 2026
    Lucky and Don Vito.
    At the end of the Havana Conference, the tension between Luciano and Genovese allegedly reached a boiling point, according to The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano, by Martin Gosch and Richard Hammer.
    Meeting with Luciano in his room at the Hotel Nacional, Genovese told him that the U.S. government knew that Luciano was in Cuba and was pressuring the Cuban Government to expel him. Since Luciano was going to have to return to Italy, he should turn over leadership of the Luciano Family to Genovese and retire.
    Positive that Genovese had tipped off the US government to his presence in Cuba, Luciano finally snapped. He proceeded to beat Genovese and eventually broke three of his ribs; it was three days before Vito could travel again. When Genovese felt better, Luciano and Anastasia put him on a plane to the States. Luciano also threatened to kill Genovese if he ever mentioned this incident to anyone.
    In February 1947, the New York City papers got wind of the fact that Luciano was in Cuba. U.S. drug agent Harry Anslinger (called "that S.O.B Asslinger" by Luciano) demanded that Cuba deport Luciano to Italy. Anslinger claimed that Luciano was behind the recent surge of heroin into the United States. When Cuba refused to comply, Anslinger took his case to President Harry S. Truman. The U.S. government then halted all shipments of medical supplies to Cuba while Luciano was still on the island. Later in February, the Cubans caved in; they arrested Luciano and sent him back to Italy. When his plane landed there, the Italians arrested Luciano, but released him soon after.
    Lucky Luciano died on January 26, 1962, of a heart attack at the Naples, Italy airport while picking up movie producer Martin Gosch.
    Martin Gosch had helped Luciano write an autobiographical screenplay, but the Mafia Commission wouldn't allow the film to be made. Gosch along with Richard Hammer used the screenplay to write the book The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano in 1975.
    Luciano's longtime associate and eventual nemesis, Vito Genovese, died a natural death in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1969. Luciano and Genovese are buried 100 feet from each other in the same cemetery in New York.


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    2 mins
  • 04 - The Siegel Situation.

    04 - The Siegel Situation.
    Mar 31 2026
    The Siegel Situation.
    The next item on the agenda at the Havana Conference was what Lansky called the "Siegel Situation". In the mid-1930s, the New York and Chicago crime families had been sent west to establish and oversee a race wire service, gambling activities in Los Angeles and Nevada, and supervise narcotics shipments from Mexico. In a short while, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel had become a popular and visible figure in Hollywood's most glamorous circles.
    The Flamingo Hotel was the creation of Billy Wilkerson, a Hollywood nightclub owner and one of the founders of The Hollywood Reporter. By the mid-1940s, it was still unfinished. This Flamingo Hotel project became Siegel's obsession. Siegel persuaded his longtime friend and business associate Meyer Lansky to help him sell New York and Chicago crime bosses on investing in this project. Siegel promised the bosses that the hotel and casino would be a smart and profitable investment.
    The Flamingo project immediately ran into problems. Siegel appointed his girlfriend Virginia Hill as a project overseer. As a result, contractors were stealing from Siegel. They would sell him materials one day, then steal them from the building site at night, then resell them to him the next day. The Flamingo project was also impacted by the rising cost of materials and labor from the post World War II building boom. The bottom line was that a project projected to cost $1.5 million would eventually reach $6 million.
    To make matters worse, the bosses suspected Siegel and Hill of stealing project money. Lansky and the bosses had discovered that Hill was taking frequent trips to Zürich, Switzerland and depositing money in a bank account. They suspected that Siegel was skimming money and might flee the country if the Flamingo failed.
    Following a discussion, the delegates voted to execute Siegel. The delegates assigned Chicago Outfit consigliere, Charles "Trigger Happy" Fischetti to oversee the contract. The actual hit would be given to Jack Dragna, the Los Angeles crime family boss. Dragna, who despised Siegel, then gave the contract to Mob hitman, John "Frankie" Carbo, a Lucchese crime family soldier.
    At the last moment Siegel got a reprieve. The partly completed Flamingo was scheduled to open December 26. Longtime Siegel friend Lansky convinced the delegates to see how the hotel did in its opening. The delegates agreed, and then took a break for Christmas Day. The delegates soon learned that the Flamingo opening night was a flop. The enraged mobsters demanded Siegel's head. Lansky again convinced them to wait. He argued that Siegel could still save the casino and make money.
    After two weeks, the Flamingo closed to resume construction. The completed hotel opened a few months later. The Flamingo started making a small profit, but the Mafia investors had finally lost patience with Siegel. On June 20, 1947, Siegel was home alone at Hill's mansion in Los Angeles reading a newspaper by a living room window. A gunman with a military M-1 carbine rose up from the bushes and fired four shots into the room. Siegel was hit twice in the head and twice in the torso and died instantly.


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    3 mins
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