Page 48 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

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

Military attachés could not establish or maintain any relation with secret agents (spies, emissaries,
information agencies) in the country they were accredited to. If they received any kind of letter,
offer or communication pertaining to espionage affairs, they could not reply in any way, keeping
informed the Corps’ Headquarters. As much as possible, they had to refuse interviews from
these people and could never participate in meetings whose purpose was not completely clear.
In case their foreign counterparts proposed the joint purchase of documents or search for special
information, they could not undertake any commitment, informing the Corps’ Headquarters and
waiting for directives .
42

sPecIal MIssIons abroad

According to the same 1907 Instructions, Italian officers during their reconnaissance activities
abroad, had to behave like ordinary travellers or tourists without ‘exposing’ themselves in any way
for the purpose of collecting information and news. The officers who carried out these missions
were soldiers on home leave travelling on their own with a regular passport, without hiding their
position. Therefore, military authorities were not responsible for possible incidents due to their
carelessness.
Before leaving, officers had to gather all necessary information from the Intelligence Office with
respect to the limitations and prohibitions of the country of arrival, to avoid espionage accusations
and respect the country’s rules while travelling through it. They could not carry compromising
documents neither take notes that could be compromising.
After completing their missions or reconnaissance activities, officers had to submit specific reports
within the following thirty days, in order to concur to the building of: updated pictures about

roads and permanent defence structures along the border; eventual sabotage activities and surprise
attacks against sensitive targets in Austria and France; actions aiming to take the enemy by surprise
and occupy significant positions, such as alpine mountain passes, immediately after the declaration
of war .
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42 Military attachés’ tasks were specified in the Publication of September 1913, no. 704-R of the Secretariat Office of the
Operations Division of the Headquarters of the General Staff Corps, titled Raccolta delle norme e disposizioni per gli
addetti militari presso le rappresentanze diplomatiche estere (Rules collection for Military attachés accredited at diplomatic
representatives abroad).
43 AUSSME, F-4 Series, Ufficio Ordinamento 1874-1955, env.8. In 1907-1908, the Austro-Hungarian and the Italian
governments signed a Series of diplomatic agreements that governed reconnaissance activities beyond national borders
through specific regulations (Headquarters of the General Staff Corps - Operations Division, letter no. 66 dated 7 April 1909,
Viaggi di ufficiali austriaci in Italia, AUSSME, G-22 Series). New rules for Italian officers travelling to Austria-Hungary
were introduced in 1911-1912.

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