Operation Gladio
Gladio means shortsword in Italian and was the name of a secret military organization in Italy. Their task was to prepare for the Warsaw Pact's invasion and conquest. Such organizations existed in some NATO states but also in independent states [1]. The name "Operation Gladio" is used unofficially for all these organizations. The exact role of the CIA and its relationship to terrorist acts perpetrated in Italy in the late 1960s has not yet been conclusively clarified.
Emblem and motto of Gladio: Through silence I preserve freedom. source
History
From 1950 onwards, Italy trained troops for guerrilla operations and sabotages against Warsaw Pact occupying troops. For these operations, secret illegal stockpiles of arms have been set up throughout Europe. Die Offiziere dieser Spezialtruppen trainierten zusammen mit den US-Amerikanischen Special Forces und dem britischen Special Air Service. [2]
These troops were inspired by the British special unit "Special Operations Executive", which carried out its own covert operations behind enemy lines during the Second World War and supported and trained resistance groups such as the Resistance. [3]
According to Andreotti's statement from 1990, Gladio had 622 members and 139 arsenals, 12 of which were no longer accessible. [4]
Exposure
In 1984, the examining magistrate Felice Casson investigated a 1972 bombing raid with three victims whose perpetrators had not been identified. He found many discrepancies in the earlier investigation results, which pointed to deliberate manipulation and falsification of evidence. Finally, he found the right-wing extremist Vincenzo Vinciguerra, a member of Ordine Nuovo, who made an extensive confession: He had been covered by persons from the state apparatus and the assassination attempt was part of a comprehensive strategy [5].
The reason for this was simple. The attacks were intended to make the Italian people ask the state for greater security. Casson continued to investigate and found out that employees of SISMI, the predecessor of SID, neo-fascists had committed many politically motivated terrorist attacks and murders in Italy between 1960 and 1980. An informal network of people in government offices, through the dissemination of false information and falsification of evidence, had ensured that the crimes were attributed to left-wing extremist terrorists, especially the Red Brigades [6]. The commission of inquiry Terrorism and Massacres (1994-2000) of the Italian Senate stated:"These massacres were organized or supported by persons in institutions of the Italian state and by men connected with the American secret service.On 3 August 1990, the Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti confirmed the existence of an "Operation Gladio" of the SISMI following a parliamentary request.[7]
Sources
[1] Haberman, Clyde; Times, Special to The New York (Nov 16, 1990). "EVOLUTION IN EUROPE; Italy Discloses Its Web Of Cold War Guerrillas"
[2] Daniele Ganser: NATO’s Secret Armies: Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe: An Approach to NATO’s Secret Stay-Behind Armies. Cass, London 2005, ISBN 3-8000-3277-5, S. 1 ff.
[3] Peter Murtagh: The Rape of Greece. The King, the Colonels, and the Resistance. Simon & Schuster, London 1994, S. 29. Zitiert bei Daniele Ganser: NATO-Geheimarmeen, 2008, S. 213
[4] Das blutige Schwert der CIA. In: Der Spiegel. Nr. 47, 1990 (online).
[5] Gunther Latsch: Die dunkle Seite des Westens. In: Der Spiegel. Nr. 15, 2005, S. 48–50 (online).
[6] Karl Hoffmann: Vor 25 Jahren: Bomben-Anschlag im Bahnhof von Bologna. In: Deutschlandfunk. 2. August 2005; abgerufen am 20. Juli 2008.
[7] Giampiero Buonomo, Profili di liceità e di legittimità dell’organizzazione Gladio in Questione giustizia, 1991, n. 3.