ALLEGED CIA INVOLVEMENT IN ITALIAN POLITICS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B01737A002100150001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 27, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 5, 1974
• Content Type: MEMO

SECRET
Approved For Release 2000/fl6WUE nA-RDF 01737A0021001 0001-2
5 ,November 1974
SUBJECT Alleged CIA Involvement in Italian Politics
1. The current political turmoil in Rome has been
marked by frequent allegations from the left of US inter-
ference in Italian domestic affairs. Leftist accusations
have not been directed exclusively at CIA, but the Agency
has taken its share of knocks.
2. Press exposes of the Agency role in Chile provided
the catalyst for the anti-US campaign. Allende was a hero
to the Italian left--including its more moderate elements.
Secretary Kissinger is unfailingly portrayed by the left
as the prime mover in the affair. Since the Chilean
revelations, even the Secretary's most casual remark on Italy
is given front page treatment in leftist publications,
and it is always implied that he is about to "unleash"
the Agency to work his will in Italy.
3. The remark that has drawn the most fire--in
the moderate and leftist press--is the Secretary's alleged
comment during congressional testimony that the CIA
would be "blamed" if Italy went communist.
4. Official Communist Party statements have not
pointed the finger explicitly at CIA but, during the
current search for a government, the PCI has frequently
demanded an administration free of "foreign interference."
This was the theme of the massive PCI-sponsored demon-
stration in Rome during Secretary Kissinger's visit this
week.
5. Recent allegations which specifically mention
CIA include the following:
--Paese Sera, Rome's Communist-financed evening
daily, alleged that the Rome Daily American was
controlled by the Agency during the 1950s. The
Daily commented editorially on October 26 that it
eceives no subsidy... either direct or indirect
from any source... this newspaper has never been
a CIA mouthpiece."
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
SECRET
Approved For Release 2000/06/07 : CIA-RDP79BO1737AO02100150001-2
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NO FOREIGN DISSEM
--La Stampa, Turin's moderately left-of-center
daily (owned by Fiat) published an article by
Vittorio Gorresio on October 15 suggesting.that
if the government crisis dragged on until spring,
the US would grow impatient and "one fine day,
the CIA will give the.-order ...for the putsch."
The author argued that the US would be more likely
to take such a step if detente with the USSR faltered,
since the US would no longer fear "provoking the
Soviets" in Italy.
--Panorama--a widely read, left-leaning news weekly--
carried an article on September 19 commenting on
a visit to Rome by Irving Brown, AFL-CIO represen-
tative in Paris and Howard Molisani, Vice-President
of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
Panorama claimed that Brown works for CIA and implied
the same about Molisani. The alleged purpose of
their visit was to encourage anti-communist elements
in the Italian labor movement to form a separate
organization.
CIA has not been accused so far of involvement in the
SID/Miceli affair. An October 31 article in the left-wing
intellectual weekly L'Expresso, however, alleges that former
Ambassador Martin and Assistant Military Attache James
Clavio were involved with Miceli in preparations for the
abortive 1970 coup attempt.
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
SECRET
Approved For Release 2000/06/07 : CIA-RDP79BO1737AO02100150001-2
 Approved For Release 2000/06/07 : CIA-RDP79BO1737AO02100150001-2
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SUBJ.
DATE RECD DATE OUT
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copies sent to DCI, DDCI,
and DDI
COURIER NO.
CROSS REFERENCE OR
POINT OF FILING
DATE
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Approved For Release 2000/06/07 : CIA-RDP79BO1737AO02100150001-2