Evening star., 1943-12-12
Maj. Roffo, EXC. U. Professor, Roots Out
'Sntch Police of Musso|ini's Terrorist system

into exile, where presumably they
still are. They display no shame. The
ofenses of their victims had not
been very serious so they had not
been put in concentration camps.
or shot, as would have been the
case in Germany.
The Fascist government was very
"merciful." The citizens the two
friends turned in merely have been
taken from their jobs and families
and sent to little towns in the noun
tains where they lived about as they
pleased, except that they were pro-
hibited from being out of the house
after sunset, could go no more than
a mile outside the villages. and lived
on l8 lire day furnished by the
government. The OVRA men were
astounded when told such conditions
did not exist in the United States
or Great Britain. 1t confirmed their
contempt for democracies.
OVRA members, Maj. Raffa has
found, were planted in concentration
camps where they masqueraded as
prisoners to spy on other prisoners
and guards. They were planted as
ordinary soldiers in the army to spy
on the officers. Officers also stopped
TO spying on their soldiers to get
hints OF subversive activities in their
families.
Will 'Snitch' for Anybody.
There is, of course. no written list
of OVRA members anywhere. The
few who have been brought to light
have been discovered through their
own confessions and sometimes they
have revealed their suspicious of
others. Switching" is their business
and they still are willing to "snitch"
for anybody.
OVRA members, Maj. Rata says,
are conspicuous chiefly through
their inconspicuousness. They are,
for the most part, the most colorless
personalities imaginable This was
Intentional Who would suspect a
poor, illiterate, hard working cham
bermaid as paid snitcher? But she
often was, and q very efficient one
She became suddenly literate when
going through a hotel guests brief
case.
Everybody knew that he was sur
rounded by the OVRA, that every
word he said might be reported. He
knew he was living in a goldfish
bowl. The only person to whom he
could talk freely was himself. No
case has yet come to light of dual
personality OVRA man paid to
snitch on himself, but it wouldn' t
be beyond belief. The result was a
universal psychology Of fear and
killing of self reliance which is hav-
ing dire effects on the AMG efforts
to get local government running
under its own power. Nobody will
do anything unless instructions are
written out in infinite detail. 1t is
still hard for the honest Italian to
realize that his lawyer or his
daughter may not be q paid OVRA
agent. But OVRA constituted only
the hidden roots of the terroristic
system. 1t lowered magnlflcently
above ground.
The Kings Police"
One organization reputedly above
reproach was that of the carbinieri
the "king's police" This is an an
cient organization. 1t has always
been considered one OF the most
efficient and honest police forces in
the world, completely above politics
with advancement depending on
merit alone. 1t was supposed even
to be independent of the Fascist
party. 1t was. so far as it's heads
and most of its men were concerned
But the investigation has shown that
it was riddled with spies. These
men were openly on the payroll and
were bonaf1de members Of the or
ganization But they were shifted
from city 10 city 70 carry cut m