In preparation for the attack on Sicily, the United States relied on the unexpected: the Luciano boss and the Italian mafia.

During World War II, the US government was concerned that Japanese, Italian or German Americans could support the Axis and threaten its national security. In 1942, the USS Lafayette of the US Navy caught fire and capsized while in a port in Manhattan, leading many to believe that this was the act of sabotage by fascist supporters.

US authorities investigate many Italian-origin workers at the pier. When the operation did not work, the US Navy turned to Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the head of the Genovese criminal family, one of the five major gangs in New York underworld.

Luciano was born in Sicily, Italy in 1897, to the United States at the age of 9 and is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for creating a "Commission," a mechanism to arbitrate disputes between bands. party.

At the time, Luciano was serving 30-50 years in prison for forced prostitution. The U.S. Navy made a deal: he would get a sentence reduced by providing information and supporting their operations, in a campaign dubbed the Underworld. Luciano agreed.

Luciano ordered his juniors that any suspicious activity in the harbor must be reported to officials. Luciano also assured the workers at the pier would not organize a strike.

The effectiveness of this operation is still controversial, but since 1942, no other military ships were destroyed and dock workers in New York held no strike.

That is not the stop for cooperation between Luciano and US officials. When the Allies planned to attack Italy, the United States determined it must first capture Sicily. In preparation, the US government turned to its former partner.

The Mafia in Italy does not like Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, who dealt so hard with the organization that they fled. Luciano and his confidant had many relationships in Sicily, able to provide Americans with vital information and logistical support for the attack.

The US wants the mafia to provide them with diagrams and photos of Sicily's coast and harbor. This information was used to plan Operation Husky starting July 9, 1943. Some clues in Sicily even fought American forces against the Germans and the Italians. 38 days later, the Allies won, pushing the enemy out of Sicily.

Commentator Walter Winchell said that Luciano's contribution to the fight against fascism was so great that he deserved consideration for the Honorary Medal. However, scholar Selwyn Raab in a book about 5 mafia families in New York said that Luciano did not have many important clues in Sicily so it did not make a significant difference to the battlefield situation.

According to Luciano's lawyer, the mafia boss "helped connect many Italians born in Sicily with officials, providing valuable information on the situation in Sicily" and he "assisted military officials for two years." prepare for the Sicilian land ".

When World War II ended in the summer of 1945, Luciano remained in prison. He petitioned New York for leniency, affirming that in cooperation with the Underworld Campaign and the Husky Campaign, he deserved immediate release.

In January 1946, New York Governor Thomas Dewey agreed to release Luciana but decided that he could not stay in the US and had to be deported back to Italy. On February 9, 1946, he was taken aboard a ship to Italy, never returning to the United States.