Virginio Gayda

Virginio Gayda (12 August 1885 - 14 March 1944)^[1] was a prominent Italian fascist and journalist during the reign of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party.

Gayda came to prominence as editor of Il Giornale d'Italia during the 1930s and 40's. Contemporary reportage in the press of Allied countries characterised him as a propagandist who was willing to write anything to support the regime of Benito Mussolini.^[2] Dr. Seuss lampooned Gayda, saying that "If you were to ask me, which you haven't, whom I consider the world's most outstanding writer of fantasy, I would, of course, answer: "I am." My second choice, however, is Virginio Gayda.".^[3]

Despite this, Gayda twice came into conflict with Mussolini.^[4] In the first incident, in a 1939 article titled "Che farà l'Italia?" ("What Will Italy Do?") written at the time of the Germany invasion of Poland, Gayda cast doubt on the wisdom of Italy entering the world war on the side of Germany. Mussolini, who was at that time planning to enter the war, criticised this article strongly. In the second incident, in an article published in Il Giornale d'Italia on the 17th of February 1943, Gayda acknowledged that the Axis powers have had difficulties in the war, and wrote that the most important factor in war was resilience. Since the Allies were widely understood to have greater industrial power than the Axis, this was seen as a tacit admission that defeat was likely. As a result Gayda did not appear in Il Giornale d'Italia again until the 23rd of March. Gayda was replaced as editor of Il Giornale d'Italia by A. Bergamini after the fall of the fascist regime on the 25th of July, 1943.

He was killed by allied bombing at home on the 14th of March, 1944, reportedly whilst studying English - "the language of Churchill and Eisenhower" - in preparation for the arrival of the allies.^[5]

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