Imperial Valley press., 1938-01-24
BY JOSEPH ID. RANOTTO.
United Press CCrreSDGndenh

ROME ~ PD-AlleI beIlllO Mus
solini the most powerful man in
Italy is Arturo Bocchini. supreme
head of the police.
Boccnini Is a name that means
little to anyone outside Italy. In
Rome itself this powerful person.
aee could walk down the elegant
Corso and easily go unrecognized.
Yet Bocchini controls 44000OO0
people. It is he who is wholly re-
sponsible for the safety of II Duce.
Mussolini never undertakes any
problem. carries out any project
or takes any trip without first
consulting his trusted aide
The expression trusted aide
hardly conveys the true relation
between the dictator and his police
chief. There is probably no person
in Italy in whom the Duce places
more confidence and trust. A close
friendship has grown up between
these two personalities.
Bocchini is one of the very few
men in Italy who can phone the
Duce day or night and not be
passed on to some aide. Day IN
and day out Mussolini receives
him unfailingly at noon.
Picture Never Published
In the II years that Bocchinl
has been chief of police he has
almost passed completely out of
the public gaze. His picture never
appears in the papers. He has
never granted an interview. He
never attends public events. He is
never quoted.
Yet this mild-mannered and
unprepossessing looki ing m n
knows better than anyone else just
what is going on in every corner
of the Peninsula. He is the "feeler'
of the public pulse.
This has been made possible by
! the OVRA. BOcchini's own crea-
ton. 1t is equivalent to the better
known Nazi Gestapo and the
! Soviet Ghepeu. 1t is considered the
most relentless and best organized
police organization in the world
Bocchini has at his disposition
one of the most modern and most
complete police files in the world.
1t is said to surpass even those Of
Scotland Yard or the Surete Ma
tionale.
Every record of political and
criminal activity goes down IN
these files. Be it forgery, rape,
second story thievery, shoplifting
or fist fight. it goes into the file.
Nothing is too unimportant to go
by unperceived. The slightest
brush with the police is enough to
have the offenders name included
in Bocchinis famed dossier.
OVRA Has No Office
No one knows the workings OF
the OVRA. It has no office. The
/ general staff is unknown. 1t meets
at irregular periods and never
twice in the same place The vast
majority OF agents who work for
/ it know no one but their imme-
diate superior.
These agents mingle with the
people They are labOrers, white
collared office workers, function
aries. bus conductors portieri
walters. newspaper vendors. They
infiltrate in every walk of life
These AGENTS are even scattered
among the regular police.
They talk to the common people
They get the feel or the current
The srghtest mention Of Musso-
lini or any political question Of the
cay and some unseen ear is bounc
TO perk up.
The agents make their reports
and daily when Bocchini sees his
chief he relates what public opin-
ion" thinks Of this or that.
Consulted on African War
When in October, 1885, Musso-
rni. Watchiup the milling masses
below in the square before the
Venice Palace. asked Bocchin
Can make war on Ethiopia?'
the latter laconically replied Yes
That was all that was required
Mussolini acted on that Yes
Often the role Of the OVRA L
that of the samaritan In the Vari.
Gus regions people may complain
Of taxes. a drouth, want, misery
unen plcyment, high cost Of living
~Unexplainably and without fai
aid comes to the sufferer A ne"
land project, a reduction in taxes
the opening Of a long closed far
tory. the purchase Of stock that
has lCng lair idly on the shelves