Propaganda Due
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Propaganda 2 (P2) Propaganda Due | |
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Leader | Licio Gelli |
Founded | 1877 (as Propaganda Massonica) 1966 (as Propaganda Due) |
Dissolved | 1976 (officially by Grand Orient of Italy) 25 January 1982 |
Preceded by | Propaganda Massonica |
Membership | ~962 |
CIA (alleged) | |
Part of a series on |
Freemasonry |
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History of Italy |
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Italy portal |
Propaganda Due (Italian pronunciation:
P2 was sometimes referred to as a "
Outside of Italy, P2 had many active lodges in
Foundation
Propaganda was founded in 1877, in
Following the end of World War II, Freemasonry became legal again and the lodge was reformed. The name was changed to Propaganda Due when the Grand Orient of Italy numbered its lodges. By the 1960s, the lodge was all but inactive, holding few meetings. This original lodge had little to do with the one
During the
Gelli took a list of "sleeping members"—members not invited to participate in
In 1967
In a 2018 book,
Discovery
The activities of the P2 lodge were discovered by prosecutors while investigating banker
Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani (whose chef de cabinet was a P2 member as well)[17] appointed a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, headed by the independent DC Tina Anselmi. In May 1981, Forlani was forced to resign due to the P2 scandal, causing the fall of the Italian government.[9][22]
In January 1982, the P2 lodge was definitively disbanded by the Law 25 January 1982, no. 17. In July 1982, new documents were found hidden in the false bottom of a suitcase belonging to Gelli's daughter at Fiumicino airport in Rome. The documents were entitled Memorandum sulla situazione italiana ("Memorandum on the Italian Situation") and Piano di rinascita democratica ("Plan of Democratic Rebirth"), and are seen as the political programme of P2. According to these documents, the main enemies of Italy were the
Gelli's goal was to form a new political and economic elite to lead Italy away from the danger of Communist rule. More controversially, it sought to do this by means of an
P2's influence
The P2 was implicated in numerous Italian scandals and mysteries. Opinions about the importance and reach of the P2 differ. Some see the P2 as a reactionary, shadow government ready to preempt a takeover of power in case of an electoral victory of the Italian Communist Party. Others think it was nothing more than a sordid association of people eager to improve their careers by making powerful and important connections.[26]
Corriere della Sera takeover
In 1977, the P2 took control of the
The paper published a long interview with Gelli in 1980. The interview was carried out by the television talk show host Maurizio Costanzo, who would also be exposed as a member of P2.[28] Gelli said he was in favour of rewriting the Italian constitution towards a Gaullist presidential system. When asked what he always wanted to be, he replied: "A puppet master".[17][29]
Bologna massacre
P2 members Gelli and the head of the secret service
Banco Ambrosiano scandal
P2 became the target of considerable attention in the wake of the collapse of
Protezione account
One of the documents found in 1981 was about a numbered bank account, the so-called "Protezione account", at the Union Bank of Switzerland in Lugano (Switzerland). It detailed the payment of US$7 million by the president of ENI, Florio Fiorini, through Roberto Calvi to the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) leader Claudio Martelli on behalf of Bettino Craxi, the socialist Prime Minister from 1983 to 1987.
The full extent of the payment became clear only twelve years later, in 1993, during the mani pulite (Italian for "clean hands") investigations into political corruption. The money was allegedly a kickback on a loan which the Socialist leaders had organised to help bail out the ailing Banco Ambrosiano. Rumours that the Minister of Justice, Martelli, was connected with the account had been circulating since investigations began into the P2 plot. He always flatly denied them. Learning that formal investigations were opened, he resigned as minister.[31]
Criminal organization
Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry
The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, headed by Anselmi, concluded that the P2 lodge was a secret
New Italian law prohibiting "secret lodges"
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2020) |
Even though outlawed by Fascist dictator
Licio Gelli's list found in 1981
On 17 March 1981, a list composed by Licio Gelli was found in his country house (Villa Wanda). The list should be contemplated with some caution,[according to whom?] as it is considered[by whom?] to be a combination of P2 members and the contents of Gelli's Rolodex. Many on the list were apparently never asked if they wanted to join P2, and it is not known to what extent the list includes members who were formally initiated into the lodge. Since 1981, some of those on the list have demonstrated their distance from P2 to the satisfaction of the Italian legal system.[34]
On 21 May 1981, the Italian government released the list.[35] The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry headed by Tina Anselmi considered the list reliable and genuine. It decided to publish the list in its concluding report, Relazione della Commissione parlamentare d’inchiesta sulla Loggia massonica P2.[36]
The list contains 962 names (including Gelli's). It has been claimed that at least 1,000 names may still be secret, as the membership numbers begin with number 1,600, which suggests that the complete list has not yet been found.[17] The list included all of the heads of the secret services, 195 officers of the different armed forces (12 generals of the Carabinieri, 5 of the financial police Guardia di Finanza, 22 of the army, 4 of the air force and 8 admirals), as well as 44 members of parliament, 3 ministers and a secretary of a political party, leading magistrates, a few prefects and heads of police, bankers and businessmen, civil servants, journalists and broadcasters.[17] Included were a top official of the Banco di Roma, Italy's third largest bank at the time, and a former director-general of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), the country's largest.[22]
Notable people on Gelli's list
Some notable individuals include:
- General Aldo Alasia (Argentina)[37]
- Federico Carlos Barttfeld (Argentina), ambassador of Argentina to Yugoslavia (1991–1995) and China (1998–2001),[13] and later under-secretary of state in Néstor Kirchner's government, relieved of his functions in 2003 following allegations of involvement in the Dirty War[38]
- Silvio Berlusconi, businessman, future founder of the Forza Italia political party and Prime Minister of Italy[39][40]
- General Luis Betti (Argentina), Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1973–1974)[41]
- Admiral Gino Birindelli, Commander in Chief Naval Fleet in the Italian Navy from 1969, and a member of the Chamber of Deputies for the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) in 1972–1976[42]
- Roberto Calvi, known as "God's banker", chairman of Banco Ambrosiano from 1975, allegedly killed by the Mafia in London in 1982[43][44]
- Vincenzo Carollo, politician of the Christian Democratic Party (DC), President of Sicily 1967–1969 and member of the Senate of the Republic 1972–1987[42]
- Fabrizio Cicchitto, member of the Italian Socialist Party, who later joined Berlusconi's centre-right party Forza Italia[22]
- Maurizio Costanzo, popular television talk show host of Mediaset programmes (Mediaset is Silvio Berlusconi's commercial television network)[28]
- Federico Umberto D'Amato, leader of the Office for Reserved Affairs (Ufficio affari riservati), an intelligence cell in the Italian Ministry of the Interior[45][46]
- César Augusto de la Vega (Argentina), Secretary of State for Minors and the Family in the Ministry of Social Welfare (1973–1974), while it was headed by his friend José López Rega (see below); ambassador of Argentina to UNESCO (1974), France (1974–1975) and Denmark (1975–1976)[41]
- Franco Di Bella , director of Corriere della Sera.[27][40] Di Bella had commissioned a long interview with Gelli, who openly talked of his plans for a "democratic renaissance" in Italy—including control over the media. The interview was carried out by the television talk show host Maurizio Costanzo, who would also be exposed as a member of P2 (see above).[28]
- Franco Foschi, politician of the Christian Democratic Party (DC), Minister of Labour and Social Security (1980)[42]
- Artemio Franchi, president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) (1967–1976, 1978–1980), president of UEFA (1973-1983) and member of the executive committee of FIFA (1974–1983)[42]
- General Orazio Giannini, commander of the Guardia di Finanza (1980–1981).[48] On the day the list was discovered, Giannini phoned the official in charge of the operation, and told him (according to the official's testimony to the parliamentary commission): "You better know that you've found some lists. I'm in those lists – be careful, because so too are all the highest echelons [Breda understood 'of the state'].[17][49] ... Watch out, the Force will be overwhelmed by this."[50]
- General Raffaele Giudice , commander of the Guardia di Finanza (1974–1978).[48] Appointed by Giulio Andreotti, Giudice conspired with oil magnate Bruno Musselli and others in a lucrative tax fraud of as much as $2.2 billion.[22][51]
- General Giulio Grassini , head of Italy's civilian secret service SISDE (1977–1981)[22][48]
- Raúl Alberto Lastiri (Argentina), interim president of Argentina from 13 July 1973 until 12 October 1973[52]
- first cabinet (1983–1984)[53]
- José López Rega, Argentine Minister of Social Welfare under Juan Perón and Isabel Perón (1973–1975) and ambassador of Argentina to Spain (1975–1976), founder of the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance ("Triple A")[13]
- Enrico Manca, editor of Giornale Radio Rai and Minister of Foreign Trade (1980–1981)[42]
- Luigi Mariotti, politician of the Christian Democratic Party (DC), Minister of Health (1964–1968, 1970–1972) and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1968–1969)[42]
- Emilio Massera, admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the Argentine Navy, and a member of the National Reorganization Process, the military junta ruling Argentina led by General Jorge Rafael Videla, in 1976–1978[13][52]
- General Vito Miceli, chief of the Operative Informations and Situation Service (Servizio Informazioni Operative e Situazione, SIOS), the Italian Army's intelligence service from 1969 and head of the military intelligence service SISMI/SID from 18 October 1970 to 1974. Arrested in 1975 on charges of "conspiracy against the state" concerning investigations about Rosa dei venti, a state-infiltrated group involved in the strategy of tension, he later became a member of the Italian Social Movement (MSI).[48][54]
- General Pietro Musumeci, deputy director of SISMI[48]
- Vatican Bank[55]
- General Giovambattista Palumbo, commander of the 1st Carabinieri Division "Pastrengo"[48]
- kidnapping of Aldo Moro and Operation Gladio.[56]
- Mario Pedini, politician of the Christian Democratic Party (DC), Minister of Scientific Research (1975–1978), Minister of Culture and Environmental Heritage (1976–1978) and Minister of Public Education and Universities (1978–1979)[42]
- General Franco Picchiotti, commander of the 11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade[48]
- Angelo Rizzoli Jr.Corriere della Sera, later a cinema producer[40], owner of
- Celestino Rodrigo , Argentine Minister of Economy (1975) and friend of José López Rega (see above)[57]
- General Giuseppe Santovito , head of Italy's military intelligence service SISMI (1978–1981)[22][48]
- Gustavo Selva, director of the Rai Radio 2 news programs, at the time of the publication of Gelli's list a Member of the European Parliament for the Christian Democratic Party (DC), later a member of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic for the National Alliance[42]
- Michele Sindona, banker linked to the Sicilian Mafia, ex-president of Banca Privata Finanziaria[43]
- Minister of International Trade (1979) in Giulio Andreotti's third, fourth and fifth governments[42]
- General Guillermo Suárez Mason, Argentine military officer in charge of the Batallón de Inteligencia 601 during the Dirty War and Operation Condor[41]
- Bruno Tassan Din , general director of Corriere della Sera[40]
- Admiral Giovanni Torrisi , Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy (1977–1980) and Chief of the Defence Staff (1980–1981)[22][48]
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship (1973–1975)[52]
- Claudio Villa, famous singer and actor who represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 and 1967[42]
- Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, son of Umberto II and disputed head of the House of Savoy[58]
Expulsion
The Grand Orient of Italy officially expelled Gelli and the P2 Lodge in 1976.[59] In 1974 it was proposed that P2 be erased from the list of lodges by the Grand Orient of Italy, and the motion carried overwhelmingly. The following year a warrant was issued by the Grand Master for a new P2 lodge. It seems the Grand Orient in 1976 had only suspended the lodge, and not actually expelled it, on Gelli's request. Gelli was found to be active in the Grand Orient's national affairs two years later, financing the election of a new Grand Master. In 1981 a Masonic tribunal decided that the 1974 vote did mean the lodge had factually ceased to exist and that Gelli's lodge had therefore been masonically and politically illegal since that time.[16]
Relationships with the regular Freemasonry
According to
See also
- Corruption
- Organized crime
- Operation Gladio
- Anti-communist mass killings
- Alliance for Shared Values – Civic organization considered a terrorist network by the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Secret society
- Strategy of tension
Footnotes
- ^ Italian law (Law 22 April 1941 n. 633 and further modifications, art. 5) does not consider "official state and public administration documents" as affected by copyright
References
- ISBN 978-0-520-39250-2.
- ISBN 978-3-7386-0771-0.
- ISBN 0307801624.
... the extreme right-wing organization Propaganda Due (P-2), ...
- ISBN 0773572074.
... [Licio Gelli] organized a special, ultrasecret, ultrarightist lodge, Propaganda-Due
- ISBN 978-0754671541.
... a similar strategy of infiltration within the military milieu by Italian radical right-wing terrorist groups and clandestine elite pressure groups such as Propaganda-Due (P-2) ...
- ^ "Constitution of Italy (English)". December 22, 1947. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^
ISBN 9781732178496. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
In 1976 the Grand Orient of Italy formally seized the charter of P2 and expelled its Worshipful Master, Licio Gelli (a Fascist), who continued to operate P2 as an unaffiliated lodge in Italy until 1984.
- ^ "Masonic lodge affair leaves Italy shocked". The Times. May 23, 1981.
- ^ a b BBC On This Day: 26 May 1981
- ^ Jones, The Dark Heart of Italy, p. 187
- ^ Hooper, John (June 23, 2006). "The fall of the house of Savoy". The Guardian. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ Jones, The Dark Heart of Italy, p. 186
- ^ a b c d "En el mismo barco", Pagina 12, 15 December 1998 (in Spanish).
- ISBN 978-88-8483-362-4.
- ISBN 978-88-464-6526-9.
- ^ a b "What was the P2 Lodge?", Anti-masonry Frequently Asked Questions, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ginsborg, Italy and Its Discontents, pp. 144–148
- ^ "How Licio Gelli took over Italy's secret power centre". The Times. May 30, 1981.
- ^ ISBN 9788893253543.
- ^ "Misinformation about "Gladio/Stay Behind" Networks Resurfaces". usinfo.state.gov. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Stille, Excellent Cadavers, pp. 39–40
- ^ a b c d e f g "A Grand Master's Conspiracy", Time, 8 June 1981
- ^ "La loggia massonica P2 (Loggia Propaganda Due)", Associazione tra i familiari delle vittime della strage alla stazione di Bologna del 2 agosto 1980 (in Italian). The list of P2 members is in the final report of the Italian Parliamentary commission of inquiry: Relazione di Maggioranza (Anselmi), Commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sulla Loggia massonica P2, July 12, 1984.
- ^ 40 billion lire in 1982 was equivalent to €74.2 million in 2020.[24]
- ^ Stille, Excellent Cadavers, p. 40
- ^ a b "Obituary: Franco Di Bella", The Independent, 23 December 1997.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Alberto Cavallari".[permanent dead link] The Independent. 23 July 1998.
- ^ Willan, Puppetmasters, pp. 229–230
- ^ Willan, Puppetmasters, p. 161
- ^ "Italian minister falls victim to corruption". Archived April 19, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. The Independent. 11 February 1993.
- ^ Willan, Puppetmasters, p. 50
- ^ "Human Rights Court Judgment". Grand Lodge of Scotland. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ "Italian Parliament. Licio Gelli's List of P2 Members. 1981". NameBase. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ^ "Elenco degli iscritti alla Loggia P2" [List of members of the P2 Lodge] (in Italian). Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
- ^ "Relazione di Maggioranza (Anselmi)", Commissione parlamentare d’inchiesta sulla Loggia massonica P2, 12 July 1984 (in Italian). The list is in book 1, volume 1, pp. 803–874 and 885–942, and in book 1, volume 2, p. 213 and 1126.
- ^ "Un marino con muy buenos contactos políticos y comerciales", La Nación, 7 November 2000 (in Spanish)
- ^ "Un dinosaurio camino a casa", Pagina 12, 9 May 2004 (in Spanish).
- ^ "An Italian story", The Economist, 26 April 2001.
- ^ a b c d Ginsborg, Silvio Berlusconi, p. 31.
- ^ Pagina 12, 14 December 1998
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "P2, da Silvio Berlusconi a Maurizio Costanzo, alcuni dei nomi più noti della lista Gelli". La Repubblica (in Italian). December 16, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ a b Stille, Excellent Cadavers, p. 41.
- ^ "Calvi murder: The mystery of God's banker". Archived September 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. The Independent. 7 June 2007.
- ^ "La Loggia la P.A. e la magistratura – I rapporti con la Pubblica Amministrazione", in Relazione di Maggioranza (Anselmi), Commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sulla Loggia massonica P2, 12 July 1984.
- ^ Willan, Puppetmasters, p. 73.
- ISBN 978-84-9793-459-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i {{lang|it|italic=no|2="Gli apparati militari. Conclusioni", in Relazione di Maggioranza (Anselmi), Commissione parlamentare d’inchiesta sulla Loggia massonica P2, 13 July 1984 (in Italian).
- ^ Marzio Breda (2011). "«La P2? Presto P3 e P4» La profezia della Anselmi", Corriere della Sera, 25 March 2011. "So che hai trovato gli elenchi e so che ci sono anch'io. Personalmente non me ne frega niente, ma fai attenzione perché lì dentro ci sono tutti i massimi vertici"
- ^ Commissione Parlamentare D'Inchiesta Sulla Loggia Massonica P2, Allegati Alla Relazione (1984), series II, vol. I, tomo IV,[clarification needed] Esame testimoniale Bianchi Vincenzo, pp.148–150. "«Aggiungeva di fare attenzione dato che il Corpo rischiava di inabissarsi.» anche se lui «personalmente se ne fregava»"
- ^ "Italy: Terror on the Right", The New York Review of Books, 22 January 1981.
- ^ a b c "Elenco degli iscritti alla Loggia P2". "1. Elenco degli iscritti alla Loggia P2 − archivio900.it". Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Presidenza del Consiglio. 21 May 1981 (in Italian) - ^ Ginsborg, Silvio Berlusconi, p. 30.
- ^ Willan, Puppetmasters, p. 59.
- ^ "Mason indicted over murder of 'God's banker'". Archived September 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. The Independent. 20 July 2005.
- ^ "Moro's ghost haunts political life", The Guardian, 9 May 2003.
- ^ Agustín Lucietto, Franco (2022). "La Cuestión Malvinas: de la negociación al conflicto. Una aproximación al vínculo entre la política exterior y la política de defensa de Argentina". Ciclos (in Spanish). XXIX (58): 119. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ Hooper, John (June 23, 2006). "The fall of the house of Savoy". The Guardian. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ Decree No. 444 L.S. of June, 1976 quoted by masonicinfo.com Archived February 3, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Peter Gomez (April 17, 2023). "Giuliano Di Bernardo: So che esiste un elenco completo di nomi della loggia P2". Archived from the original on December 3, 2023.
Further reading
- DeHoyos, Art & S. Brent Morris (1997). The methods of anti-Masons, Masonic Information Center.
- Dickie, John. Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004 ISBN 1403966966
- Ginsborg, Paul (2003). Italy and Its Discontents, London: Palgrave Macmillan )
- Ginsborg, Paul (2005). Silvio Berlusconi: television, power and patrimony, London: Verso, 2005 ISBN 1-84467-541-6
- Hellenga, Robert, The Fall of a Sparrow. This is a novel about an American man whose daughter is killed in the 1980 Bologna train station bombing and his attendance at the trial in Italy of one of the bombing suspects.[ISBN missing]
- Herman, Edward and Frank Brodhead (1986) The Rise and Fall of the Bulgarian Connection, New York: Sheridan Square
- Jones, Tobias (2003). The Dark Heart of Italy. New York: North Point Press.
- Lorenzo Magnolfi (1996). Networks di potere e mercati illeciti : il caso della loggia massonica P2. Problemi aperti (n. 26) (in Italian). Messina: Rubbettino. p. 184.
- Normand, P.G. "The Italian Dilemma". American Masonic Review, Vol. 3, No. 2. Publ. by St. Alban's Research Society, College Station, Texas; Spring 1994.
- OCLC 489638013. (Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg der Loge P2, in the 1984 German edition)
- Simoni, Enrico; Raffi, Gustavo (2006). Bibliografia della massoneria in Italia (in Italian). Vol. III. Foggia: Bastogi. OCLC 1091228865. Archived from the originalon June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- Sterling, Claire, The Mafia: The Long Reach of the International Sicilian Mafia ISBN 0586212345
- ISBN 0-09-959491-9
- Unger, Craig. The war they wanted, the lies they needed, Vanity Fair, July 2006.
- Willan, Philip. The Last Supper: the Mafia, the Masons and the Killing of Roberto Calvi, Constable & Robinson, 2007 ISBN 978-1-84529-296-6
- Willan Philip P. (2002). Puppetmasters: The Political Use of Terrorism in Italy, iUniverse, ISBN 0-595-24697-4
External links
- Article by Gianni Barbacetto
- Philip Willan, personal website of journalist and author with information on Roberto Calvi, Banco Ambrosiano, Licio Gelli, Propaganda Due.
- OCLC 1105713591. Archived from the originalon August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- OCLC 237881440. Archived from the originalon August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ISBN 978-8849809244. Archived from the originalon August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.