Page 59 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

CHAPTER THREE

One of the very first decisions taken by Luigi Cadorna was to place the Intelligence Office under
the authority of the Second-in-Headquarters of the General Staff Corps, who later became Deputy
Chief of the Army Staff . This decision cancelled the long-lasting direct relation between the
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Intelligence Office and the Chief of the General Staff, possibly revealing a certain preconceived
scepticism about the efficacy of this Office’ activities, as confirmed by the Cadorna declaration to
the Commission of enquiry on the Battle of Caporetto .
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3.6 Page from the collection of orders issued by the Headquarters of
the General Staff Corps, including the organization changes ordered
by Luigi Cadorna

30 Chief of Army Staff, Agenda no.20 28, July 1914, AUSSME, L3 Series, env.297. The Decree no.337 of March 1915 established
the office of Deputy Chief of Army Staff that replaced the office of Second-in-Command of the General Staff Corps
31 Commissione d’inchiesta di Caporetto, Trascrizione della deposizione del Generale Luigi Cadorna (Transcript of General
Cadorna deposition), AUSSME, H-4 Series, env.1: “Undoubtedly, the purpose of the intelligence service is to gather all the
information about the enemy. However, it must be recognized that it is an objective very hardly achievable. The transmission
lines are hundred km long and therefore the espionage activities in Switzerland do not produce results due to the delay in the
arrival of information. The Intelligence Office can exclusively rely on prisoners and deserters”.

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