Godfather 2 question

I didn’t feel like bumping the thread from 2003 so here goes…

Regarding the assassination attempt on Michael, was Rocco involved? His comment that taking the assassins alive would be difficult makes me think Rocco killed them before the assassination attempt too place. Who opened the drapes?

I’m wondering also how much Fredo was involved. He couldn’t have let the killers into the compound because he later claims he didn’t know his betrayal would lead to an attempt on Michael’s life. If that’s true, what would he have supposed someone would be doing inside the compound.

Also, bonus question. I’ve heard for years the hollywood story of how Coppala fought mightily for Al Pacino to play Michael but up until that point he had only really done **The Panic in Needle Park **. He was OK in it but his performance didn’t really scream, “I can play the most powerful mafia don ever”. What got Coppala on Pacino so much?

Leaving a horse’s head in the bed?

Yeah, but Fredo could have been lying. He certainly had the means to pull it off. Remember he, Rocco, Pentangeli and Al Neri were all caporegimes - Fredo has plenty of men working under him. Indeed technically he was the #2 as underboss, though that was more a paper title in Fredo’s case. When Michael leaves Tom Hagen in charge as acting boss, he mentions mentions Tom would have charge of “Fredo and all his men” ( in addition to Rocco and Neri ). I figure it is quite possible that Fredo’s resentment had been worked up to a fever pitch by Johnny Ola and he only later regretted his decision.

Of course Fredo is so abysmally stupid maybe he thought he was letting them in to steal or plant something. Basically I think it is a tossup as to whether Fredo was flat-out lying to Michael, lying to himself or just was truly that dumb. But I think there is little doubt he gave the would-be assassins some sort of access ( hired them as his own guards? ) and killed them/had them killed in a panic after the botched hit.

Rocco, far as I can tell, seems nominally loyal ( and dies for it at the end of GF II ).