In 1946, Luciano, now living in
Italy after being deported and barred from America had grown a curiosity about
Cuba. In early fall 1946, when Luciano was living in Rome, he got word in a sealed
envelope through a newly deported U.S Mafioso. In the envelope was a paper with
three words, “December Hotel Nacional”. Two Italian passports were issued to
Luciano in late September, in his real name, Salvatore Luciano. On those
passports were visas for Mexico, Cuba and several other South American Nations.
Since the moment he was deported, Luciano had been planning to get back to
America, a plan which was now becoming possible and even though he still couldn’t
get in to America, he could get very close to it.
In late October Luciano left
Italy for Caracas, Venezuela, from Venezuela he flew to Mexico City, where he
boarded a private plane to Havana. Arriving in Havana, Luciano was greeted by his
childhood friend and associate Meyer Lansky. Luciano first stayed in a
luxurious suite in the Hotel Nacional and then moved into a spacious home in
the suburb of Miramar. Lansky, on Luciano’s orders had organized the conference
for the week of December 22 in the Hotel Nacional. Lansky suggested that
Luciano should purchase a $150 000 interest in the Hotel Nacional, a hotel
which was owned by Meyer Lansky and his silent partner, the Cuban President
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar.
In December 1946 the Havana
Conference was in motion. Top Mafioso’s from all over the United States bolted
into Havana. All of the guests brought envelopes full of cash for Luciano, to
welcome him back from exile and to recognize the authority he still had in the
Mafia. This money was handed to Luciano at dinner on the night before the
conference started. The dinner was hosted by Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello and
Joe Adonis and the money which Luciano was given amounted to more than $200,000.
Frank Sinatra was performing at the Hotel Nacional that week and that was the
cover story for the conference. The mobsters were supposedly all there for a
gala party in which Sinatra was the entertainment. Frank Sinatra flew in from
Chicago to Havana with Al Capone’s Cousins, Charlie, Rocco and Joseph Fischetti.
Joseph “Joe Fish” Fischetti, an old acquaintance of Sinatra, acted as his
chaperone and bodyguard, while the other two Fischetti’s delivered a suitcase
containing $2 million to Luciano. The $2 million was his share of the U.S rackets
he still controlled.
The most significant items on the
agenda of the Havana Conference were the leadership and authority of the Mafia
in New York, the mob-controlled Havana casino interests, the narcotics
operations, and the West Coast operations of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel,
especially the new Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Luciano’s main
concern was the situation in New York. Luciano had been away from several
months and was not happy with the growing tension in New York. Previous acting
Boss for the Luciano Family, Vito Genovese had returned from exile in Italy and
was not happy with Frank Costello being the boss and him just being a capo
regime and having a minor role in the organization.
