Boss of Bosses
Now a TNT Movie
an interview with author Joe O'Brien
Q. Why did you write a book about your
investigation of Paul Castellano?
A. I'd worked the Castellano case for almost seven years as an FBI agent, and this was my opportunity to tell the inside story about a real-life Mafia
Godfather.
Q. How did Paul Castellano try to change the mob?
A. He was one of the last of the real Mafiosos. He tried to bring it into a new era of respectability and legitimacy. He outlawed narcotics trafficking in
the mob and the arbitrary killing of "civilians."
A. There's a certain mutual respect that develops between the hunter and the hunted. They need one another for their identity, and that developed with Castellano. I spent some time with him, and he respected the job that I was doing. He was a different sort of mob boss. He was a self-made millionaire and businessman. He succeeded in the mafia for 30 years - 10 of which he ran as the boss of bosses. He was very successful as the head of the Gambino family and the head of the commission. He brought the mob into a new era of respectability, and it prospered, despite the best efforts of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
