October 8, 1939 Page Three
Mussolini- Favorite Target of AssassinsII Duce Dares Death. but
His Guard Is Strong• This is the second of a series of articles on methods used to guardEurope's dictators from murder clubs and assassins. A previous
article disclosed the way in which Adolf Hitler '" protected.
By WILIJAM J. MAKIN(Copyri.ht, 1938: E. P. Dutton" Co., Inc. From" BrI.ad •• of Spi••••••
by perml •• ion of author and publi.h ers, )
PERHAPS the dictator whoignores precautions morethan anyone else is Musso·
lini. Yet he has suffered morefrom attempted assassinationsthan any of the other dictators.Time and again the bullet in-tended for him has missed or notproved fatal. But even if newsfilms show Mussolini stridingforward vigorously and appar-ently unprotected, every move-ment of II Duel' is carefullywatched.A special police force of 300
men is responsible for the safetyof Mussolini. These men are allin plain clothes. Together withuniformed Royal carbineers,they guard the Villa Torlonia,where Mussolini lives with hisfamily. They also guard thePalazzo Venezia, where he hashis offices. I once elected to stayin a hotel facing Mussolini'sworkshop. My credentials wereclosely, scrutinized before I waspermitted even to book a roomat the hotel.From my hotel window I was
able to look down upon thesquare facing the Palazzo Vene-zia. Except for two Fascist mill-tiamen on sentry duty outsidethe main door there appears tobe no obvious guard. But everyone in that square is on themove. Should a stranger loiterfor' a few moments a memberof the private guard approachesand moves him on.
• • •But the guards' greatest fear
is bombs. Because of this theyhave had all the sewers in thestreets of Rome closed with gratoings. Special guards also closelyscrutinize every letter or parceladdressed' to Mussolini, 1estdeath should come through thepost. And every letter or parcelis opened before it reaches thedictator.Yet Mussolini himself laughs
at these precautions. He likesto give his guards the slip andplay Haroun al Raschid in thestreets of Rome at night. Andhe may also be glimpsed ridinga motorcycle at full speed on theroad between Rome and Ostia,going for his daily sea bath inthe summer. He also upsets hisguards by deciding suddenly tojoin in the dances of peasantsand enjoying himself with thefullest freedom.Once Mus sol i n i achieved
power, he saw that the policeforce in Italy was one of thestrongest in the world.••Before my regime," he has
stated, ••the Italian police, whilepossessing many noteworthy ac-complishments, was poorly or-ganized and lacking in the nee-essary equipment for its work.We stiffened the backbone ofthe police force and made it freefrom the interference of localpoliticians who had hitherto ex-ercised a sort of veto power overany action the police undertook.We made the police responsibleto the central authority; it pro-ceeded with the enforcement oflaw and the control of crime andthe criminal. I myself in open
(Wid •• World photo.)
Above: Thecarbineer whoarresteda bomb·throwinq aBBassinstandsnear the spot (indicated by arrow)where Duce's life was endanqered.
parliament, in order to give thenecessary moral prestige to theinstitution. declared that I waschief of the police."Actually there is a secret sec-
tion of this police force knownas the OURA, or political sec-tion. This large organizationoperates through Italy and inforeign countries. It is respon-sible for the personal safety ofMussolinl. Be c a u s eof thegrowth of anti-Fascist organiza-tions outside Italy and the temp-tation of Mussolini to receiveany foreign journalist seeking
(Acme photo.)
At riqht: Wounds durinq the Worl-dwar and escapes fromdanqer whilerecuperatinq have left Muuolini abit cynical about the assauins.
an interview in Rome, the OURAhave persuaded the Duce to bemore circumspect. Most of Mus-solini's office hours are spent inreceiving visitors. He often saysthat the whole of Italy fiowsthrough the enormous room inthe Palazzo Venezia in which hesits as dictator. Nevertheless itis undeniable that he has becomemuch more difficult to call uponthan when he came into office.He is increasingly hard to get at.Usually he is at his desk at an
early hour. He is met by secre-_taries, who review the day's
(Acm'•• photo.)
Mussolini,his nose bandaqed, appears on a balcony in Rome shortlyafter the attempt on his life by VioletGibson.
work with him. He is a vora-cious reader of the newspapers,especially the for e i g nones.Everything in his enormous mailis opened by other fingers, whichmove gingerly when confrontedwith parcels. There is little fearof poison, since Mussolini doesnot dine out socially except occa-sionally in the foreign embas-sies. But bombs may easily besent through the post, and it isthis danger that a small groupof clerks have to face whenopening parcels,
Voi£e of .I.e ~o~ie F80Letters published in this department should be written on one side of the paper.If you wish a personal reply please inclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Dear MissTlnee: I have been a moviefan and have read your column since itfirst appeared. Ihave been goingto write to youall this While,butjust put It off.You have neverlet me down. Icould always de-pend upon whatyou said aboutevery pic t u r e,and whenever Idid go to somewh i c h you didnot recommend Iagreed perfectlywith your reomarks aboutthem.There Iso n e
picture which Isaw lately, and Ijust must tell you how I feel about it-••Juarez." Wasn't Brian Aherne a dar-ling? He just radiated love, and I am abetter woman for having seen It. Mustalsomention the marvelousacting of BetteDavis and Paul Muni; they were and al-ways are the tops.Here's to you and your column and our
movies. Alwaysa fan, E. C.Editors note: Here's to Y01~-.:andyour
enthusiasm! Come. again!
8~IAN AHERNECall.d a darllnq by on.
who saw .. Juar.l. If
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MARYAGNESMORONEY.Edito,-'s note: So glad you like the cot-
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Olivie,' was born in Dorking, England, Mayse, 1907. He's 5 feet 10 inches tall and hasb,'oton hair and eyes. Btagp. career startedin 19f5 and since then he has appeared inmany stage productions in London andNew York. Married JiZZEsmond, Englishactress.
Dear Miss Tinee: Although it i~. arather late date to congratulate BrianAherne on his wonderful performance in•.Juarez," I have just seen" Captain Fury,"and when I think of the differencebetweenthe two rOles- one serious, one light - Iknow,as everybodyshould know,that Hol-lywoodhas one of the finest actors of thetime in Brian Aherne!
AN ADMIRINGFAN.Editors note: Buah. can act!
Dear Mis's Tinee: I am one of yourardent admirers, and I can't stand to seesome people write complaints In to you.If they don't like your reviews theyshouldn't read them. I am one of JackieCooper'sfans, and I wouldlike to see moreof him on the screen. He Is just as goodand better than Mickey Rooney. Andplease tell me how old Clark Gable reallyIs. Thank you. BETTYKELLAR.Editors note:-Everybody can't agree
with you and me, Betty. That just wouldn'tbe na'ter. But I'm glad Jackie and I have.,uch an ardent admirer. C1.ark Gable wasreally 38 uear« old on Feb. 1.
Dear MissTinee: A STARis born. Thestar is Ll-year-old Gloria Jean, whom Irecently saw in..TheUnder-Pup."I also had thepleasure of seeingher in per son.Sh e was verypre tty on thescreen, but shewas realiy ador-able on the stage.It is a pleasureto listen to hersinging, and Ihope to hear heragainsoon.Wouldyou please tellme where I canre a c h her? Iwould be ve r ypleased i f youwould ,pu t herpicture in yourcolumn. Loads of success to you' andGloria Jean. Thank you. '
MARIONCAPRARO.Editors note: You can write to Gloria
care Of Universal studio, Universal City,Cal. Here's a nice photo of the littleU star" for your album. Thanks. Come
GLORIA JEANto A star 'I born. II lays h.r
ard.nt fan.
again.
Dear Miss 'I'inee: Some time ago I sawthe picture" TheLittle Princess." I enjoyedthe acting of Sybil Jason so much. I havenever seen her in a picture before, but Inthis picture I enjoyed her immensely. Iwish we would have more pictures withher in them. I wonder if you could tellme something about her. I have neverliked Shirley Temple,who was starred inthis picture. She has always seemed tome to be a little mamma's girl who neverdoes anything bad. Of course, this wouldbe impossible,because all children are badsometime'S. She did splendid act i n g,though, in •.Heidi" and •.Wee WillieWinkle," I for one would like to see herplay in more pictures like these.Yours always, M. F.Editors note: Sybil's been in a number
of pictm'es. She played in "Little BigShot," "I Found Stella Parrish,'" "TheSinging Kid," "Changing of the Guard/'"The Captain's Kid," and "The GreatO'Malley." She was born in Cape Town,South Africa, Nov. B3, 1929. Screen careerstarted when she was 3 years old. As forShirley, I never have thought of her as anElsie Dinsmore. I imagine your letter willdraw replies from some of he" fans. Watchthe colu.mn!
Dear MaeTin~e: Please settle an argu-ment that has been goingon nowfor three'years. The question Is, at what downtowntheater in Chicago did ••Moonlight andPretzels" play, and who was the star inthis picture? I think this picture playedIn June, 1933. RUBYMASS.Editors note: Imagine carmg enough
about anything to argue over it for threeyears! Whew! Why do you let thingsdrag along like that when I'm here to helpyou' "Moonlight and Pretzels" wasshown at the Palace theater, Chicago, inAugust, 1933. The leading players in thisfilm were Leo Carrillo, f;fary Brian, andRoger Pryor.
There have been no fewerthan six attempts to kill Musso-lini. As early as 1923 he wasshot at in Rome by a dischargedmember of the Royal guard.The shot missed him. Then ayear later his chauffeur waskilled beside him near the Colos-seum. Mussolini himself shotthe assassin. Then there camethe occasion in 1926 when theHon. Violet Gibson, a daughter ofthe first Lord Ashborne, fired arevolver point blank at him onCapitole hill. The bullet wound-ed Mussolini in the fieshy partof the nose. The wound wasmore painful than dangerous.The Duce was due to set out ina battle cruiser for a visit toTripoli the next day. Everyonewondered whether he would go.Mussolini went aboard the cruis-er the next day in a bowler hat,with his nose covered with pinksticking plaster. He may havelooked ridiculous. The crowdsdid not think so. Italians, Arabs,Greeks, Turks, Armenians, and
(Acme photo.)
Occasionally Il Duce speeds alonqItalian hiqhways on a motorcycle,
unquarded.
Jews cheered him madly. Onehas to admire the courage of theItalian dictator.Another close attempt on his
life was arranged by a general.The military officer had a tell"scopic rifle ready to level at Mus-solini the moment the dictatorappeared on the balcony of thePalazzo Chigi to harangue hisfollowers. The general with hisritle was discovered in time andsentenced to thirty years' impris-onment.He has also escaped bombs.
One was thrown at his car inthat fateful year of 1926. Itmissed Mussolini, exploded inthe road, and wounded eightpeople. Again it was his car,in which, fortunately, he was nottraveling, which attracted theshot of an assassin. This timeit was Mussolini's secretary whowas wounded.There was also the boy of Bo-
logna who fired shots as theDuce went by. The boy waslynched on the spot. Mussolinireorganized his secret poUce.His spies we r e everywhere;eve r y movement against hisdominance was strangled at itsinception. Mussolini, who hadonce been a Socialist plotter hlm-self, knew all the methods of themurder clubs. He used thosesame methods himself againsthis former Red companions. Tothe Lipari Islands, the Islandsof Confine, went those who weresuspected of murderous plots .At the age of 56 Mussolini
feels that he is beyond the reachof the killer, that he bears acharmed life. As an example ofthat charmed existence he likesto tell the story of how he nod-ded to death during the greatwar. A faulty hand grenadeburst in a group of Bersaglieri.Four men were killed. FromMussolini were extracted forty-four pieces of the bomb. Hehad twenty - seven operations.Twenty-five were without anes-thetics. Meanwhile shells werefalling a r 0 u n d the hospital.Having survived those experi-ences, he can afford to be con-temptuous of the solitary indiovlduals who would try to killhim. '
•• •But the determination that
Mussolinl shall die at the handof an assassin still exists amongthe Italian emigres in Lausanne,Paris. and London. Even inSoho, in London, a murder clubwhose object is to remove theDuce from this earth is knownto meet on occasions and discusspossible plans. But even Mus-solini knows of the byways of
Soho, althoughyou will findno mention ofthat Alsatia inhis autobtogra-phy.In 1908 Mus-
s 0 lin i was ashabby Social-ist, just released
(Acme photo.) fro m p r is 0 nVioletGibson and under Ital-
ian police sur-veillance. London being then ananarchist Mecca; young Benitojudged it a convenient place tovisit. He was befriended by oneof Soho's most successful resi-dents, one Riccioni, a pioneer ofmacaroni manufacturers in Eng-land. Mussolini used to sit in asmall Soho cafe; his favoritechair being at the side of apenny-in-the-slot machine piano.He sipped coffee from a glass,refused wine, and was neverseen to smoke. He rarely en-tered into conversation, but helistened. If the trend of talkdispleased him he would stalkout of the cafe. "Napoleon!"jeered his compatriots after him.They little knew.The last attempt on the Ufe of
the dictator of Italy occurred in1936. Four men were arrestedand brought for trial. The pros-ecution alleged that anti-Fascistrefugees in France had offered$85,000 to anyone who wouldkill Mussolini. The four in Italydecided upon the attempt.,Their first act was to explodea bomb in St. Peter's one day inJune. Though the bomb whichexploded did little damage, itwas stated at the trial that itwas intended to release sufficientpoison gas during a beatifica-tion ceremony to asphyxiate thepope and all others present atthe ceremony. It was allegedthat other bombs were to havebeen used to murder Mussolini., A chemist who gave evidencestated that gas bombs found hadbeen made according to a for-mula found in the possession ofone of the prisoners, Bucciglionl.They would cause instant deathif exploded within four walls.The special tribunal for the de-fense of the state before whomthe four men appeared deliveredsentence. Senten cd to thirtyyears' imprisonment were Rena-'to Cianca and Leonardo Buccigli-oni. Claudio Clanca, Renate'sson, was sentenced, owing to hisyouth, to only seventeen years.Pasquale Capasso was acquit-ted. He burst into tears of joyon hearing the decision. Theothers seemed surprised thatthey had escaped the death sen-tence. But even dictators at theheight of their success can affordto be magnanimous.
NEXTSUNDAY-Thebarricadearound Stalin.
