Licio Gelli (born in Pistoia, Tuscany, April 21, 1919), was the masonic Worshipful Master of the powerful Italian lodge Propaganda Due (P2), involved in Gladio's "strategy of tension". He has been involved in almost all of the Italian scandals in the past three decades (Tangentopoli, which led to the Mani pulite anti-corruption operation, Gladio "stay-behind" clandestine NATO structure, Banco Ambrosiano scandal, Italian premier Aldo Moro's 1978 murder, etc.) Gelli was also a member of the Knights of Malta. He now lives under house arrest in his villa in Tuscany. Pistoia (ancient Pistoria) is a city in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km (18 mi) west and north of Florence. ... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria and Marche to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... In Freemasonry, the head of a Blue Lodge is called the Worshipful Master but only during the time that the lodge is actually in session while addressing him, much as a person would address a judge as your honor while court is in session. ... P2 is the common name for the Italian pseudo-Freemasonic lodge Propaganda Due (Italian: Propaganda Two). ... Operation Gladio Operation Gladio was a clandestine stay-behind operation sponsored by the CIA and NATO to counter communist influence in Italy, as well as in other European countries. ... The Strategy of Tension (Italian; strategia della tensione) is a way to control and manipulate public opinion using propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs and terror. ... Bettino Craxi, viewed by many as the symbol of Tangentopoli, leader of the Italian Socialist Party, is greeted by a salvo of coins as a sign of loathing by protesters contesting him. ... Mani pulite (Italian for clean hands) was a nationwide Italian police investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s, following the scandal of Banco Ambrosiano in 1982, which implicated mafia, Vatican Bank and P2. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Banco Ambrosiano (which was closely related to the Vatican Bank) was an Italian bank which collapsed spectacularly in 1982. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known as Knights of Rhodes, Knights of Malta, Cavaliers of Malta, and the Order of St John of Jerusalem) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine hospitaller religious order founded in Jerusalem, following the First Crusade around 1100, and soon became a Christian military order... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria and Marche to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ...

A Fascist volunteer

During the 1930s, Licio Gelli volunteered for the "Black Shirt" expeditionary forces sent by Mussolini to Spain in support to Francisco Franco, and subsequently became a liaison officer between the Italian blackshirt government and the Third Reich, with contacts including Hermann Göring; among other things, he operated as an informant for the Gestapo. He participated in the Italian Social Republic with Giorgio Almirante, founder of the neofascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) ^[1]. Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) led Italy from 1922 to 1943. ... Francisco El Caudillo Franco. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Hermann Wilhelm Göring. ... The Deaths Head emblem similar to Skull and crossbones, often used as the insignia of the Gestapo The (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei; secret state police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... War flag of the Italian Social Republic. ... Giorgio Almirante (1914-1988) was the founder and leader of the Italian Social Movement until his retirement in 1987. ... The terms Neo-Nazism and Neo-Fascism refer to any social or political movement to revive Nazism or Fascism, respectively, and postdates the Second World War. ... The Italian Social Movement (Movimento sociale italiano ) (MSI) was a neo-Fascist party formed 1946 in the post-World War II period by supporters of the executed dictator Benito Mussolini under the lead of Giorgio Almirante. ...

After World War II

After the Second World War, Gelli purportedly joined the CIA, on the recommendation of the Italian secret service, a hypothesis yet to be verified. However, he was closely connected by Edward Herman to Michael Ledeen, who is thought by many to be a close collaborator or agent of the CIA. In any cases, he has been a collaborator of English intelligence agencies and Americans. He joined the neofascist MSI, which gave him a parliamentary immunity. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United Kingdom United States and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Franklin Roosevelt Joseph Stalin Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare (Military Intelligence and Security Service, SISMI) is the military intelligence agency of Italy. ... Edward S. Herman is an economist and media analyst with a specialty in corporate and regulatory issues as well as political economy and the media. ... Michael Ledeen (born August 1, 1941) is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ...

As headmaster of Propaganda Due, Gelli assumed a major role in Gladio's "strategy of tension" in Italy starting from the 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing. Gladio was a clandestine "stay-behind" operation sponsored by the CIA and NATO to counter communist influence in Western European countries, which has been involved in terrorist false flags operations in Italy. However, the Gladio affair has been treated, including by the courts, as having no sensible connection with the P2 affair; in 1994, P2 members were acquitted of charges of "conspiracy against the state". Licio Gelli's downfall started with the Banco Ambrosiano scandal, which led to a 1981 police raid on his villa and the discovery of the P2 covered lodge. This article is becoming very long. ... The Strategy of Tension (Italian; strategia della tensione) is a way to control and manipulate public opinion using propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs and terror. ... The Piazza Fontana bombing refers to the terrorist bombing on December 12th 1969 in the offices of Banca Nazionale dellAgricoltura (National Agrarian Bank) in Piazza Fontana, Milan, Italy. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Banco Ambrosiano (which was closely related to the Vatican Bank) was an Italian bank which collapsed spectacularly in 1982. ...

The 1981 raid & the P2 list

In March 17, 1981, a police raid on his villa in Arezzo, led to the discovery of a famous list of 962 persons, composed of Italian military officers and civil servants involved in Propaganda Due (aka "P2"), a covert lodge of Grande Oriente d'Italia (GOI) masonic organization. The list also included all the heads of all three secret intelligence services, 48 MPs, industrialists, journalists and wealthy people such as the former premier Silvio Berlusconi (at the time not yet in politics) and Vittorio Emanuele, the Savoy pretender to the Italian throne. Police also discovered a "piano di rinascita democratica" ("plan of democratic rebirth"), which detailed a strategy to install an authoritarian government in Italy. On the run, Licio Gelli escaped to Switzerland, where he was arrested on September 13, 1982, trying to withdraw tens of millions of dollars in Geneva, but he escaped from prison. He then fled to South America for four years, before giving himself up in 1987 in Switzerland, which agreed to extradite him, but only on financial charges. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The idea and function of a villa has evolved considerably since its invention towards the end of the Roman Republic. ... Arezzo (Latin Arretium) is an old city in central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. ... P2 is the common name for the Italian pseudo-Freemasonic lodge Propaganda Due (Italian: Propaganda Two). ... The Grande Oriente dItalia or Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) is based at Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... Victor Emmanuel, prince of Naples, or Vittorio Emanuele Alberto Carlo Teodoro Umberto Bonifacio Amedeo Damiano Bernardino Gennaro Maria de Savoie, born February 12, 1937, is the head of the house of Savoy. ... This article is about the historical region of Savoy. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The national scandal that ensued was quite thrilling, given that most of the most delicate charges of the Republic were ruled by Gelli's affiliates. A Parliamentary Commission, directed by Tina Anselmi (of the Christian Democratic party), found no evidence of crimes, but in 1981, the Parliament issued a law banning secret associations in Italy. Gelli was expelled from the GOI freemasonry in October 31, 1981. Tina Anselmi was born the 25th of march 1927 in Castelfranco Veneto, district of Treviso. ... Christian Democracy, (Democrazia Cristiana), the christian democratic party of Italy, commonly called the democristiani or DC, dominated government for nearly half a century until its demise amid a welter of corruption allegations in 1992-94. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ...

Involvement in Gladio's "strategy of tension" & P2 scandal

In 1970, he was to arrest the President during the failed Golpe Borghese. The Golpe Borghese was an attempted takeover of political power in postwar Italy which almost came to fruition on the night of 7 December 1970 to 8 December 1970. ...

With Avanguardia Nazionale founder Stefano Delle Chiaie and Francesco Pazienza, a SISMI officer, Licio Gelli has been accused of the 1980 Bologna railway station bombing, which killed 85 persons and injured 200 ^[2] The National Vanguard (Italian: Avanguardia Nazionale) is a name that has been used for at least two right wing groups in Italy. ... Stefano Delle Chiaie (born 1934) was a figure on the far right of Italian politics who went on to become a wanted man worldwide. ... Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare (Military Intelligence and Security Service, SISMI) is the military intelligence agency of Italy. ... Rescue teams making their way through the rubble The Bologna massacre, also known in Italy as the Strage di Bologna, was a terrorist bombing at the Central Station of Bologna, Italy on the morning of 2 August 1980, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 200. ...

Gelli has been implicated in Aldo Moro's murder, since the Italian chief of intelligence, accused of negligence, was a piduista (P2 member). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The P2 lodge did undoubtedly have a certain power in Italy, given the public prominence of its members, and many observers still now consider it to be extremely strong. Many people today famous in Italy (starting from the top TV anchor-man Maurizio Costanzo) come from P2. One of those associated with P2 was presumed to be Michele Sindona, a banker with quite clear connections to the Mafia. In 1972, Sindona purchased controlling interest in Long Island's Franklin National Bank. Two years later, the bank collapsed ^[3]. Convicted in 1980 in the US, "mysterious Michele" was extradited to Italy. Two years later, he was poisoned in his cell while serving a life sentence ^{[4] [5]}. Maurizio Costanzo is an Italian television anchorman born in Rome, August 28, 1938. ... Michele Sindona (died 1986) was an Italian banker and convicted felon. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Mercator projection of Long Island Long Island is an island in New York, USA. It has an area of 1,377 square miles (3567 km²) and a population of 7. ... Franklin National Bank, based in Franklin Square in Long Island, was once the United States 20th largest bank. ...

A meeting with Alexander Haig and Henry Kissinger

According to a November 18, 1990 article by The Observer, quoted by Statewatch, "Declassified secret service papers reveal that Ted Shackleton, deputy chief of the CIA station in Rome in the 1970’s introduced the notorious Licio Gelli – head of the neo-fascist P2 masonic lodge and for years a fugitive in Argentina – to General Alexander Haig, then Nixon's chief of staff, and later, from 1974 to 1979, NATO Supreme Commander. P2 was a right-wing shadow government, ready to take over Italy, that included four Cabinet Ministers, all three intelligence chiefs, 48 MPs, 160 military officers, bankers, industrialists, top dipomats and the Army Chief of Staff. After meetings between Gelli, Italian military brass and CIA men in the embassy, Gladio was given renewed blessing – and more money – by Haig and the then head of the National Security Council, Henry Kissinger. Just how those and later funds were spent is a key point in the [Casson] investigations." ^[6] Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Statewatch is a non-profit-making voluntary group founded in 1991 that monitors the state and civil liberties in the European Union. ... For other people named Alexander Haig, see Alexander Haig (disambiguation). ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... A National Security Council is an executive body which coordinates national security issues and typically includes the heads of departments involved in diplomacy and defense with a small staff. ... Henry Alfred Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923) is a German-born Jewish American diplomat, Nobel laureate and statesman. ...

Connections to Argentina's military junta

A fugitive to Argentina for various years, Licio Gelli publicly declared, on repeated occasions, that he was a close friend of Argentina's leader Juan Peron; although no confirmation ever came from South America; and often affirmed, without ever explicitly explaining why, that this friendship was of real importance for Italy. Several members of the Argentine military junta have been found to be P2 members, such as Raúl Alberto Lastiri, Argentina's interim president from July 13, 1973 until October 12, 1973, Emilio Massera, part of Jorge Videla's military junta from 1976 to 1978, or José López Rega, the infamous founder of the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance ("Triple A"). Juan Domingo Perón (October 8, 1895 – July 1, 1974) was an Argentine military officer and the President of Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974. ... Raúl Alberto Lastiri (1915-1978) was an Argentine politician who was interim president of Argentina from July 13, 1973 until October 12, 1973. ... Emilio Eduardo Massera (born 1925 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine military. ... Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo (born August 2, 1925 in Mercedes) was the de facto President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981. ... José López Rega (born 17 October 1916, died 9 June 1989, in Buenos Aires) was Argentinas Minister of Social Welfare during the Peronist government started in 1973 by Juan Perón and continued after Peróns death in 1974 by his third wife and vice-president, Isabel... The Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (in Spanish, Alianza Anticomunista Argentina, usually known as Triple A and written AAA) was a far-right death squad active in Argentina during the mid-1970s, linked to the military junta led by Jorge Rafael Videla. ...

1982 Banco Ambrosiano crash and Roberto Calvi's murder

Licio Gelli was sentenced in 1992 to 18 years and 6 months of prison after being found guilty of fraud concerning the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano in 1982 (a "black hole" of $1.4 billion was found). Vatican's bank, the Istituto per le Opere di Religione, main share-holder of the Banco Ambrosiano, had in return a "black hole" of $250 million. This sentence was reduced by the Court of Appeal to 12 years. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Banco Ambrosiano (which was closely related to the Vatican Bank) was an Italian bank which collapsed spectacularly in 1982. ... The Vatican Bank is a common name given to the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) or Institute for Religious Works, the central bank for the Roman Catholic Church located in Vatican City. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ...

In 1993, Gelli declared to La Repubblica, in reference to the P2 "democratic rebirth plan", that it seemed it was being implemented by Silvio Berlusconi: "Every morning I speak to my conscience and the dialogue calms me down. I look at the country, read the newspaper, and think: "All is becoming a reality little by little, piece by piece. To be truthful, I should have had the copyright to it. Justice, TV, public order. I wrote about this thirty years ago... Berlusconi is an extraordinary man, a man of action. This is what Italy needs: not a man of word, but a man of action". La Repubblica (meaning: The Republic) is an Italian daily newspaper. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ...

He talked of many Italian politicians, among whom Fabrizio Cicchito ("I know him well: è bravo, preparato"); the "program of reform of justice? that was my plan!"; the reorganization of the TV network, "that's good"...^[1] Fabrizio Cicchito (Rome, October 26, 1940, is an Italian politician. ...

In 1994, he was acquitted of charges of "conspiracy against the state" as the other less important members of the P2 and he was sentenced to 17 years of prison for libel, financial crimes and possession of secret documents. In April 1998, the Cour de cassation confirmed a 12 year sentence for the Ambrosiano crash. He then disappeared on the eve before going to prison, while being on parole. His disappearance was strongly suspected to be the result of being forewarned. Then, finally he was arrested at the French Riviera in Cannes. The Cour de cassation is the main court of last resort in France. ... Because of the worldwide popularity of the French and Italian Rivieras, it has become fashionable to attach the term Riviera to many scenic strands of coastland, particularly semitropical or tropical, and usually with an eye to tourism. ... Cannes (Canas in Provençal) (pronounced ) is a city and commune in southern France, located on the Riviera, in the Alpes-Maritimes département. ...

Two motions of no confidence were voted by the right-wing opposition against the Justice and the Interior minister, stating that Gelli had benefited from accomplices helping him in his escape. It also made references to secret negotiations which would have allowed him to reappear without going to prison. Police found in his villa $2M worth in gold ingots ^{[7] [8]}. A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non-confidence, a censure motion, a no-confidence motion, or simply a confidence motion, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ...

Condemned on December 24, 1996, Gelli obtained the right to be placed under house arrest in 1999 for health reasons. This same year of 1996, his friends nominated him as a candidate to the Nobel Prize ^[1]! 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ...

Gelli also faced a three year sentence relating to the P2 Lodge. A few years after the Ambrosiano scandal, many suspects pointed toward Gelli with reference to his possible involvement in the murder of the Milanese banker Roberto Calvi, aka "God's banker", who had been jailed in the wake of the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano. On July 19, 2005, Gelli was formally indicted by Roman Magistrates for the murder of Roberto Calvi, along with former Mafia boss Giuseppe Calo (aka "Pippo Calo"), businessmen Ernesto Diotallevi and Flavio Carboni, and the later's girlfriend, Manuela Kleinszig. Gelli, in his statement before the court, blamed figures connected with Calvi's work financing the Polish Solidarity movement, allegedly on behalf of the Vatican. He is accused of having provoked Calvi's death in order to punish him for having embezzled money owed to him and the Mafia. The Mafia also wanted to prevent Calvi from revealing how the bank had been used for money laundering. Roberto Calvi (1920 - 1982) Roberto Calvi (Milan, April 13, 1920 - London, June 17, 1982) was an Italian banker dubbed by the press as Gods Banker, due to his close association with the Vatican. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the common law legal system, an indictment is a formal charge of having committed a serious criminal offense. ... A magistrate is a civil or criminal (or both) judicial officer with limited authority to administer and enforce the law. ... Giuseppe Pippo Calo (born 1931) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. ... Solidarity (Polish: Solidarność; full name: Independent Self-governing Trade Union Solidarity — Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy Solidarność) is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyards, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa. ... Money laundering is the practice of engaging in financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source and destination of the money in question. ...

Sicilian Secession?

In 1996, the Italian justice started investigations into a Sicilian project to secede from Italy, conceived starting from 1990 by the Sicilian mafia with Licio Gelli and Libya's complicity. The 1992 bombings killing anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, as the 1993 bombings killing 10, have been analyzed as part of such a strategy. These allegations were supported by claims from mafia pentiti, intelligence documents and parliamentary studies. Far-right activists and members of the intelligence agencies were part of the plan, which was to finance the creation of leagues advocating Sicily's secession. Clues about the presence of Libyan secret agents were apparently found. Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or political entity. ... Giovanni Falcone. ... Paolo Borsellino (January 19, 1940 Palermo - July 19, 1992 Palermo) was an Italian anti-mafia judge. ... Pentiti (Italian, literally meaning those who have repented) are former members of the Italian Mafia or similar criminal or terrorist organisations who have abandoned their criminal/terrorist organisation and helped police to discover as much as possible about the respective organisation, criminals, and in general anything related to their former...

References

1. ^ ^a b c (Italian)""Giustizia, tv, ordine pubblico è finita proprio come dicevo io"", La Repubblica, September 28, 2003.
2. ^ (French) "Le chef du gouvernement italien a dû reconnaître son existence", L'Humanité, November 29, 1990.
3. ^ (English) "Sindona guilty of bank fraud", Time magazine, April 7, 1980.
4. ^ (English) "Who killed Calvi?", The Guardian, December 9, 2003.
5. ^ (Spanish) "El poder en el mundo después de la "tangente"", Clarín, May 23, 1996.
6. ^ (English) Statewatch document
7. ^ (English) "Pots of Gold", BBC News, September 14, 1998.
8. ^ (English) "Gelli deported back to Italy", BBC News, October 16, 1998.

See also

• Propaganda Due
• Strategy of tension
• Operation Gladio
• Dirty War

P2 is the common name for the Italian pseudo-Freemasonic lodge Propaganda Due (Italian: Propaganda Two). ... The Strategy of Tension (Italian; strategia della tensione) is a way to control and manipulate public opinion using propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs and terror. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Dirty War (in Spanish: Guerra Sucia) refers to a program of a state-sponsored war on domestic citizens in response to strikes, social unrest, violence or subversion that is claimed to threaten a countrys stability. ...

External links

• Relations of Gelli and Italian freemasonry in the GOI (Grande Oriente d'Italia) site