Havana Conference

The Havana Conference was a meeting of all the major figures of U.S. organized crime, held during the week of 22 December, 1946 at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba. Decisions made at the conference would have a notable bearing on American organized criminal activity in the ensuing decades.

The Conference Begins

The Havana Conference convened on 22 December. Luciano thanked all the delegates for their donations, and then brought up the subject of "boss of bosses". He decided it was finally time for him to take that title. Albert Anastasia seconded the motion; both he and Luciano wanted to send a message to Vito Genovese, who was trying to muscle in on Anastasia and sell drugs. Vito even suggested to Lucky that the latter consider retiring, to which Luciano emphatically responded that he had no such intention. Furthermore, Lucky encouraged Anastasia and Genovese to settle their differences, so that another mob conflict, such as the bloody Castellammarese War between Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano in the early 1930s, would not break out. This was followed by Luciano's condemnation of the narcotics trade; despite the millions of dollars to be made in drugs, he never wanted to even start in the business and sought to forget the idea altogether.

Related Topics:
22 December - Albert Anastasia - Vito Genovese - Castellammarese War - Joe Masseria - Salvatore Maranzano - 1930s

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