Evening star., 1943-11-28
Colonel Who Plotted
MussoIini's Death
Details His Story
BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,
War Correspondent of The Star and
Chicapo Daily News


War Correspondent of The Star and
Chicago Daily News.
ISLAND OF ISCHIA, NEAR
NAPLES, Nov. % Delayed Fresh
from l8 years in prison and exile,
the man who nearly prevented this
war today explained for the first
time how he almost succeeded in
killing MuSsolini on November 4,
1925.
This man, who actually tried to do
what millions of persons felt like
doing but never did, is Col. Tito
Zaniboni, oldtime Socialist politician
who commanded a regiment of AL
PM in the last war. Today, almost
straight from prison, he is tall, IRON
gray-halred, freSh-faced and bright
eyed, dapper and full of spunk.
Not realizing who Col. Zaniboni
was, the British naval officer COM
manding the port of Ischia had
ordered him and his daughter off
the Italian torpedo boat on which
they were planning to travel to
lschia from Naples. In return for
some friendly intervention the
colonel told his story as we sailed
at 40 miles an hour across the bay.
Tried to Compromise.
zaniboni had known Mussolini
from the time he became editor of
Avanti and, incidentally, was also
a close friend of the firebrand poet
politician D'Annunzio. Before the
march on Rome and immediately
afterward, he attempted, through
frequent contacts with II Duce and
DAnnunzlo to effect a compromise
between the left-his own Socialist
party-and the FascistS. Then, hav-
ing been doublecrossed by both his
friends he decided to form his own
groups to oppose the Fascist "squa-
dristi."
zaniboni had the help of three
sons Of Garbaldi-Pepino, Santi
and Ricciotti. Pepino was to organ
ize squads in Southern italy; Santi
in Central Italy and Ricciotti was to
run FouruSciti (eXile) headquarters
in France
This plan came to nothing when
Zanlboni, noticing that things were
dragging" visited Rome and found
Pepino living on friendly terms with
the fourth Garibaldi brother, Ezio,
who was notorious for his Fascist
contacts. Thereupon, after a brief
lnterlude Of activity with Gen. Cap
pello, distinguished commander of
the Italian I'd Army in the last war.
Zaniboni, as he explains it. decided
that the time had come for violent
individual action.
Selected Hiding Spot.
The fly in the ointment-the man
whom history may we'll charge with
responsibility for this war-was
young Signor Guaglia, Vatican cor
respondent of Don Luigi Sturzo's
newspaper, II Popolo di Roma. whom
zanlboni had met through the edi-
tor, Donatti. This young law stu
dent, son of the secretary general
of Italian state railways, was the
only man to whom Zaniboni told
about his plot.
Tito Zaniboni laid his plans care
fully.
Il had been at Buia. in Alto
veneto, near Udine, organizing af-
fairs" he explained. They were
looking for me, and I actually spent
a month in one room, hiding out |
Then I went to Rome to perfect |
the plot.
Three hotels seemed adapted to
my plot" the colonel said. with the
attitude of man who had planned
to Waylay a flight of ducks. -
They were the Albergo Dragoni. |
the Albergo Marini and the Hotel
Moderno. I decided that the ORA
gonl was the best, since it lay right
across the Corso Umberto from
headquarters a. Palaz-
zo-Chigi. So 1 rented room there
and returned to Buia to wait.
Had Powerful Rifle.
Il planned to pot him on October
%, the anniversary of the march on
Rome, but he wasn't in Rome on
that day, so 1 postponed the busi-
ness until November 4, Italian
Armistice Day. l had A fine Aus
trian rife with a telescope sight
and explosive bullets The rawest
recruit could not have missed from
the balcony Of my room, and I was
good shot. I returned to Rome
by a night train and arrived at the
hotel about 6 am. carrying the
rifle under my uniform. which r
wore with all my old decorations
When l got to the room I put the
rifle in the wardrobe and went toE
bed.
AT 8 O'Clock in the morning the
door opened and in walked about 2OI
agents. l told them to look in the
wardrobe, and that was that.
tGuaglla had been playing the mar
kets on behalf of his father and he
had confessed to me that he had
lost 10000 lire in one Geal. Believe
Me, If l saw the fellow today I'd
shake hands with him I Just hap
pen to be made that way"
Guaglia subsequently, became a
big shot in the Colonial Ministry
and got rich on colonial conces-
slons. He was last reported in Rome
last spring