Togliatti and Mussollini's assassination

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panzertruppe2001
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Togliatti and Mussollini's assassination

#1

Post by panzertruppe2001 » 21 Jun 2004, 23:40

I am reading a Mussollini biography by Christopher Hibbert. In this book it is mentioned that the Italian communist leader Palmiro Togliatti gave the order to assassinate Mussollini. Personally I always consider Togliatti a respectable leader and i am surprised with this information. Is it real? Does somebody has more information about this?

Thanks

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DrG
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Re: Togliatti and Mussollini's assassination

#2

Post by DrG » 22 Jun 2004, 00:21

There aren't proofs of any order (not by Togliatti or anybody else) to kill Mussolini. He was first killed (officially by communist partizans, there are other hypoteses, but this is still the most probable), then, on 29 April, his execution (or murder, if you prefer) was officially approved by the CLNAI (Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale dell'Alta Italia).
Since those who killed him were not important leaders, they certainly needed an order from a commander, and since no legal order was ever given, we have to assume that an inofficial order was from an important member of the Communist Party, almost certainly Togliatti (not exactly a respectable man, in my opinion, for a long list of reasons: from the help given to Stalin to kill his opposers, to his approvation of the horrible conditions of Italian POWs in USSR, from his stealing of the gold of Dongo, made of money of the Italian state and of Jews, to his constant support to USSR against the interests of Italy, etc.).

About the death of Mussolini there are two books:
- Luciano Garibaldi, "La Pista inglese", Ares, 2002 (I have read it and highly reccomend it, the most precise reconstruction of the death of the Duce and of the "gold of Dongo")
- Giorgio Pisanò, "Gli ultimi cinque secondi di Mussolini", Il Saggiatore, 1996 (a classic, I've bought it last week, but not yet read it)
Last edited by DrG on 22 Jun 2004, 17:38, edited 1 time in total.


FB
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#3

Post by FB » 22 Jun 2004, 16:11

I agree with what DrG wrote about Togliatti.

Could it be that the author cited in the first post is alluding to the order that condemned to death penalty all the RSI leaders, issued by the partizans command (the same that instituted the Tribunali del Popolo = People' Courts ?).

best regards

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Folgore
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#4

Post by Folgore » 22 Jun 2004, 20:01

For what concerns Mussolini's assassination also Alessandro Pertini (Italy's future socialist President of the Repubblic inbetween the 70's and 80's), at the time one of the leaders of CLNAI, was primarily involved in the decisional process which brought to the execution. Only one thing was sure: they had to kill him fast; in fact the Allies (at least the US) wanted him alive, and were searching for him, while Togliatti and others had the opposite interest.

Drg can you document Togliatti stole "Dongo's gold"??

F.

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DrG
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#5

Post by DrG » 22 Jun 2004, 21:57

Folgore wrote:Drg can you document Togliatti stole "Dongo's gold"?
It's all explained in Garibaldi's book. His sources are:
- Massimo Caprara, secretary of Togliatti in the 1940's (author of "Quando le botteghe erano oscure" and "PCI, la storia dimenticata"), who described how the gold was "reclycled" by Togliatti through Switzerland to make founds for the PCI.
- Urbano Lazzaro, the partizan (nickname "Bill") who arrested Mussolini and author of "Dongo, mezzo secolo di menzogne".
- the trial of Padova of 1957 (the trial was suspended because of the "suicide" of a member of jury and never resumed), that documents how the gold was stolen by communists (as admitted even by the commander of the 52nd communist partizan brigade, Pier Bellini delle Stelle, "Pedro", and by the testimony of the mother of "Neri", a communist partizan murdered by other communists because of the gold).

While the second and the third sources prove only the stealing of the gold by the Communist Party, Caprara's books document also an involment (quite obvious) of Togliatti himself.

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Folgore
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#6

Post by Folgore » 22 Jun 2004, 23:11

grazie.

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DrG
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#7

Post by DrG » 22 Jun 2004, 23:44

Folgore wrote:grazie.
Prego. :)

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