Page 100 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

THE SECRET WAR ON THE ITALIAN FRONT IN WWI (1915 – 1918)

defeatist propaganda tended to depress the morale of the population and of combatants, as proven
by an Intelligence report of December 1917:

On last 18 and 19 November, two secret meetings took place in Florence of members of
the leftist Leninist wing of the Socialist party […] During these meetings it was decided to
charge Leninist comrades working at auxiliary plants with: intensifying anti-war and desertion
propaganda; directing propaganda above all against the French and English influence, to be
blamed for fostering the continuation of war; disseminating incitement by clandestine press to
uprising against the bourgeoisie, showing Russia as an example where war actually stopped
after the revolution .
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The P servIce
Therefore, it was necessary to promote among Italian troops a vigorous counter-propaganda action
along with more careful surveillance, but also to assist the soldiers through moral and material
support, as a reaction to the Caporetto defeat.
In January 1918, the Supreme Command ordered the Headquarters of large units to control
the troops’ morale by a dedicated intelligence system to be staffed with confident and serious
officers, carabinieri and police officers, but also with enlisted civilians having ascertained and
unquestionable political and
moral fibre .
50
Selected fiduciaries were tasked
to “mix with soldiers, listen
to speeches, assess feelings,
ambitions, and shortcomings
in order to be able, depending
on the various opportunities, to
assist them with comforting and
reassuring words immediately”.
In addition to informing superiors
about the needs of troops in
terms of assistance and welfare,
they disseminated propaganda
material, prepared conferences,
organized recreational activities
and shows in periods of rest in the
5.7 Postcard of the Intelligence Service showing the Austro-Hungarians’ rear lines. The action of officers
brutal treatment of Italian prisoners of war in charge of propaganda had to:
address also the populations by
organizing surveys on civilians’ morale and opinions; influence local press, by directly providing articles;
carry out verbal propaganda to prevent spreading of defeatist ideas . The need to monitor populations had
51

49 Intelligence Service, Letter n.628/P, 23 December 1917, Movimento sovversivo (Seditious Movement), AUSSME, Series
F-3.
50 Intelligence Service, Circular letter no. 916, 9 January 1918, AUSSME, Series E-5, env.194.
51 Supreme Headquarters - Section U, Circular letter no. 1117/P, 1 February 1918, AUSSME, Series F-2, env.105.

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