Glossary entry
The Commission
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Definition
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The governing body of American Cosa Nostra, formed in 1931, made up of the heads of the most powerful families and charged with settling disputes and approving the killing of made men.
“A move against a boss without the Commission's approval was the one mistake that could not be argued away afterwards.”
Charles Luciano proposed it after the Castellammarese War, in place of the single boss of bosses that Salvatore Maranzano had just been killed for declaring himself. The founding seats went to the five New York families and to Chicago and Buffalo.
Its purpose was commercial. Wars are expensive, they attract federal attention, and they interrupt distribution. A standing body that could arbitrate before shooting started was worth more than any territory it allocated.
It survived until 1986, when eight leaders were convicted together in the Commission trial in Manhattan.