On December 2, 1941 Consul General Vittorio Barbieri spent his last night in New York in Maria Nicolosi’s expert arms. They went to the Mayflower Hotel, a favorite spot overlooking Central Park.
As soon as they closed the door there was a fast and lustful moment on the couch. The night continued that way as FBI agents were struggling to listen in; they barely had enough time to install their bugs just as the room was being assigned at the front desk. Besides the usual sounds of lovemaking all they could pick up were bits of useless small talk.
Maria went on about her Thanksgiving party and they laughed at the anecdotes.
“…And then I saw you dancing bravely with the awesome Anna Petillo.”
“She was a good dancer and we got along very well together, at least I thought so.”
“You are a nasty man, you are thinking naughty thoughts about my girlfriend, and I can feel it!”
Then more lovemaking and silence until the radio was suddenly turned on much too loud mixed in with the sound of running water that effectively covered any conversation. They were obviously speaking in a low voice in the bathroom next to the shower with the faucets open wide.
“You definitely are a suspect but they have nothing specific to arrest you so don’t worry. There are two sets of instructions, one for continued American neutrality and one in case of war. I know for a fact that the FBI will not bother you unless they have something very specific in peacetime. If we are at war most of the Mafia will surely side with the Americans but not everyone; isolated gangsters like Genovese and his group will stay with us, they have too much to gain. Be sure to keep your distance from any of those characters, I mean people like Licata, otherwise the FBI will start asking questions and your usefulness will come to an end.”
Maria thought for a moment and asked,
“If it’s war how do I communicate?”
“You’ll get those instructions after I leave.”
“I wish I could go back with you…”
“Your mission continues. There is an agent who communicates exclusively by mail. He will have to be terminated after his next mission and it has to look like a mob contract.”
“Like Scalise!”
Barbieri wrote on a piece of paper: “He’s using the alias of Vincent Chapman.”
Then he tore the paper up in small bits and carefully piled them in an ashtray before striking a match.
At noon the consul general was at the pier ready to board the Italian Line passenger ship to Genoa. This time Anderson sent a whole team to see Barbieri off and take careful notes of the small crowd of well wishers. In keeping with tradition the departing consul general had a champagne party on board with Maria and a group of friends that included Dr. Aldo Freddi. Everyone appeared completely relaxed and Barbieri even waved exuberantly for the newspaper photographers.
Fred Spada could almost hear Admiral Calamai’s voice as he read his instructions in case of war.
“The target is the French liner Normandie. Our information shows that we have a two to three month window of opportunity once the United States enters the war, which is expected to happen in a few months. After the start of hostilities it will be too late to plan any action since American counter espionage and naval defenses will be fully mobilized within three to six months. The planning must therefore begin immediately in expectation of coming events. Anti-submarine nets and mines when approaching the Normandie are to be expected but may not be in place. If it becomes impossible to reach the target then you must focus on demolition projects such as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Holland Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge and major buildings on Wall Street.
Under the circumstances it’s much too risky to dismantle the SLC, it must therefore be either scuttled quietly or demolished by explosion. In case you are in difficulty and only if absolutely necessary, your fallback is to contact Maria Nicolosi at the Maria’s Isle of Capri restaurant on West 37th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. We know that she will be under heavy surveillance. Continue to communicate via Father O’Brien. End message. Destroy.”
Fred memorized and burned the text as instructed. A quick survey confirmed that the Normandie, renamed the Liberty, was being converted as a troop transport ship and remained the softest and most valuable target as the Admiral was suggesting, but the attack required extensive and meticulous preparation.