Page 145 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

CHAPTER SEVEN

small-sized antennas, quite easy to conceal. Consulted by the Ministry of War, the Minister of Post
and Telegraphs stated that:

considering the techniques available, it will not be simple to protect the State from the
evil intentions of private subjects who may intercept radiotelegraphic and radiotelephone
transmissions from military or public stations in a malicious or clandestine manner […].
Therefore, radiotelegraphic stations need to adopt adequate precautions in writing important
messages since, presently, there is no other way to guarantee the secrecy of radiotelegraphic
and radiotelephone stations .
27
More explicitly, Righi recommended encoding confidential radio dispatches even during peacetime
as the only effective measure against clandestine interception. The Army Headquarters shared this
view.
With the purpose of reserving the radio spectrum for State communications, the Ministry of Post
and Telegraphs issued, in August 1914, a ban on new concessions and immediately thereafter
abolished the concessions that had already been granted to private subjects.
Following the instructions mentioned above, the Directorates of Telegraph and Telephone that
operated on the territory reporting to the Ministry of Post and Telegraphs, intensified the search for
unauthorized stations and found dozens of them across Italy, from Ferrara to Rome, from Florence
to Forlì, mostly receiving stations designed for study and research, without any connection to
clandestine activities. However, in some cases it turned out impossible to find the owner of the
facility, which led to suspicion of espionage or activities associated with the uprisings of June
1914, for the coordination of the organizing committees in several Italian cities .
28
In few cases, the referral to justice led to acquittals for not having committed a crime or due to a
lack of evidence. According to collected information, it seems no stations for espionage purposes
were detected on the Italian territory, except for some stations close to but beyond the border.
The Italian Intelligence Office - later Intelligence Service - worked during the entire war period
to counter the use of the radio for espionage operations, especially along the Swiss border where
the frequently occurring espionage activity, in addition to smuggling and desertion, required
continuous and strong suppression action. Moreover, this area was particularly relevant to the war
because of the dreaded attack that the Central Empires could have launched against Italy through
the Swiss territory .
29
Since 1915, the counter-espionage section of the Intelligence Office strived to hinder the radio
transmission across the Swiss border by enemy agents operating in Italy. To achieve this goal,
radio surveillance was employed to intercept any communication by relatively little powerful
transmitters installed in border areas .
30

27 Ministry of Post and Telegraphs, Telegraphic General Directorate, Impianti telegrafici abusivi sorretti da cervi volanti
(Illegal telegraphic stations with antennas supported by kites), letter to the Ministry of War of 7 October 1914, AUSSME,
Series G9, env.2. This folder comprises many documents concerning the topic.
28 Large documentation in this regard is also provided in AUSSME, Series F4, env.7, f.107.
29 Situation and Operations Office. La neutralità svizzera nei suoi pericoli (Swiss neutrality and its dangers), November 1915,
AUSSME, Series F1, env.369. To defend the Po Valley from such risks, Cadorna went back to an old 1882 project, and built
a fortified line that comprised trenches extending for more than 70 Km, artillery posts and other fortifications controlled by
the troops of the OAFN - Comando Occupazione Avanzata Frontiera Nord (Northern Front Forward Occupation Command)
that was created in 1917.
30 Monitoring had started in 1914 and allowed identifying radio stations also in other border areas. In fact, some stations were
discovered in Hotel Fonzari in Grado and in the bell tower of Aquileia, both communicating with Pula. Other radiotelegraphic

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