Golpe Borghese

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Golpe Borghese was an attempted but unsuccessful takeover of Italy which almost came to fruition on the night of 7–8 December 1970. It was organized and planned by several neo-fascist figures with the support of members of the Italian military, the secret service, and the police as well as the backing of right-wing entrepreneurs and industrialists.

The effective leader of the golpe (coup) was Junio Valerio Borghese (1906–1974), a member of the prominent aristocratic Borghese family. Known as the “Black Prince” he was a fascist hero of World War II. After September 1943, he had transformed the underwater commando X-MAS unit of Italian commando frogmen into his personal mercenary army for the period of the German occupation of Italy and of the fascist Italian Social Republic.

Stefano Delle Chiaie, founder of Avanguardia Nazionale, also took part in the coup. Licio Gelli, head of the Propaganda Due masonic lodge, was to have arrested the President.

Borghese asked the Sicilian Mafia for support for a neofascist coup in return for a pardon of convicted mafiosi like Vincenzo Rimi and Luciano Liggio.