Posted on 10/14/2009 2:57:24 PM PDT by Daffynition
History remembers Benito Mussolini as a founder member of the original Axis of Evil, the Italian dictator who ruled his country with fear and forged a disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany. But a previously unknown area of Il Duce's CV has come to light: his brief career as a British agent.
Archived documents have revealed that Mussolini got his start in politics in 1917 with the help of a £100 weekly wage from MI5.
For the British intelligence agency, it must have seemed like a good investment. Mussolini, then a 34-year-old journalist, was not just willing to ensure Italy continued to fight alongside the allies in the first world war by publishing propaganda in his paper. He was also willing to send in the boys to "persuade'' peace protesters to stay at home.
Mussolini's payments were authorised by Sir Samuel Hoare, an MP and MI5's man in Rome, who ran a staff of 100 British intelligence officers in Italy at the time.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Fascinating. Great post!
Actually, the Guardian is as usual making much ado about nothing. It was ALREADY known than Mussolini was paid by Hoare—Hoare mentioned it in his memoirs. Prior to the British payments, Mussolini pocketed French secret service money. And the Brits hardly gave Mussolini his “start”. Mussolini was a prominent Socialist politician before WWI started.
Well, we had a PRESIDENT who once took money from the KGB (Clinton as a paid anti-war protestor and organizer in Europe).
For those of you not well versed in spycraft, the most valuable assets are “agents of influence” that rise to high office.
It’s the details of the payments/amounts that are news.
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Thanks Daffynition.£100 a week was a lot of money in 1917!Mussolini got his start in politics in 1917 with the help of a £100 weekly wage from MI5... Mussolini, then a 34-year-old journalist, was not just willing to ensure Italy continued to fight alongside the allies in the first world war by publishing propaganda in his paper. He was also willing to send in the boys to "persuade'' peace protesters to stay at home. |
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And don’t forget the Germans helped Lenin get into Russia in 1917. Doesn’t mean Lenin and the Kaiser were pals.
I have heard that the Soviets gave Hitler his post-WWI start in politics.
Very interesting. £100 per week was a TON of money back in 1917.
“.....equivalent to about £6,000 a week today.”
I could live on that.
Wonder what Acorn execs make a week?
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