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The Mafia at War’Mafia Allies’ in US reveals the truth behind the secret collaboration between the Mafia and the Allies in World War Two.Some text had to be cut out from the final edition of the book, but in this material is this fascinating exchange between Allied intelligence officers regarding the Mafiabacked Separatist movement in Sicily in 1944:The question of whether the Allies should censor Separatist propaganda was a sensitive one. The Fascists were notorious for closing down newspapers and gagging the press. The Allies did not want to find themselves endorsing a similarly repressive regime.In an exchange of letters between CA Raleigh Radford, a civilian agent working for the US Psychological Warfare Board, and Lt Colonel IS Munro, Chief Press Officer, US Army Psychological Warfare Branch PWB, a lack of censorship was considered a weakness that could be exploited by the Mafiabacked Separatists.“I draw your attention to newspaper Sicilia e Liberta published at Trapani on the 15th June 1944,” wrote Radford. “Near the bottom of para 2 [on the front page] is the following slogan ‘Sicilians Your grain will be taken away to the mainland. Defend yourselves by defending it“As long as Sicilian separatists confine themselves to an exposition of their political aims it might have been argued that they were entitled to considerable liberty of expression. This can no longer be maintained when their organ contains a slogan deliberately designed to act against one of the major campaigns of ACC [Allied Control Commission of occupied territory] and of the Italian government.Radford wanted to see such publications licensed by the Allied authorities“I am glad you have brought up the Separatist problem,” replied Munro. “Despite various kinds of pressure sometimes exercised by Allied authorities, this office has deliberately but unobtrusively set its face against the Separatist movement as such“We know from intelligence that enemy propaganda has already told the Italians that it is the intention of the Allies to disintegrate Italy and to take over Sicily. It is for this reason that PWB Press Office has set its face against any even indirect recognition of the Separatist parties or movements.Munro was thinking of the bigger strategic picture and knew that Sicilian Separatism played into the hands of the Axis. He believed that the Italian Penal Code could be invoked to punish the Separatists and promised to send a telegram to the authorities in Palermo instructing them to take action.Radford was delighted to hear that someone else shared his concerns.I knew you were fully informed of this matter, and were dealing with it adequately,” he wrote in a second letter to Munro, “but I realised that there was in certain Allied circles a slight ‘tenderness’ towards this movement, and I thought it a good opportunity to expose the real aims of the movement to high Allied circles in this town.“I do not think that as regards PWB the separatist question is serious at the moment, but knowing certain sympathies in this direction I felt that my letter to you, which as you saw was repeated elsewhere, could only serve to strengthen the action you were taking.It is interesting to note that both Radford and Munro felt somewhat alone in their fears of the Separatist movement and that, in their opinion, the general Allied view was in favour of it.Source: Three letters from Radford and Munro in the US Psychological Warfare Branch, Allied Force Headquarters in Algiers, dated 28 June, 3 July, 8 July 1944.

 

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