Click here for Full Issue of EIR Volume 7, Number 9, March 4, 1980 hinted at various Jesuit-initiated maneuvers to ensure Fanfani's victory at the congress. The dispute between these two sides of what is nomi­ nally a single political party reaches down to fundamen­ Italy tals of political and economic orientation. The Andreot­ ti-Zaccagnini faction views itself as part of the Franco­ German alliance, in opposition to the current policies of The following is an on-the-spot report of the national the Anglo-American axis. This means, for example, a congress of the ruling Italian Christian Democratic Party tough commitment to detente and peaceful relations with (DC) which ended Feb. 20. The congress was divided the socialist countries, including through close economic into roughly two factions, with a crucial swing moderate cooperation. It is in this context that Andreotti and grouping in the center characterized by the "Dorothean" Zaccagnini both strongly supported government collab­ faction of DC president Flaminio Piccoli. Through the oration with the Italian Comm unist Party in their speech­ entire conference, the opposed factions were attempting es at the congress. to capture this grouping for their side. On the other side, the Fanfani-Jesuit grouping is On the one side was the alliance of former Prime confrontationist in foreign policy and for zero or nega­ Minister Giulio Andreotti and DC General Secretary tive economic growth in economic policy. Benigno Zaccagnini. On the other were arrayed Senate Since the DC is the unquestioned majority, ruling President Amin-tore Fanfani-a nominal right-winger­ party in Italy, the victors of the party congress would be and various assortments from the nominal party "left," the individuals to determine the future shape of the new including the noted faction leader Donat Cattin and government and of that government's policies. These others. The latter Fanfani grouping had behind it the were the stakes at the gathering, whose final outcome solid support of the Jesuit order. In our last issue, the will not be truly known until the first week of March, Executive Intelligence Review had published an interview when the party national committee will finally elect the with the leading Jesuit political strategist in Milan, Fath­ leadership, from DC president to the new general secre­ er Macchi, who strongly emphasized this support and tary, and so forth. Andreotti breaks up the Jesuit spider-web by Umberto Pascali Former Italian There is no doubt among the most informed circles in premier Giulio Italy that the real loser at the national congress of Italian Andreolli is coming ruling Christian Democratic Party which ended Feb. 20, out on top of the was the Jesuit order. As expected, the Jesuits played all ruling Christian their cards before and during the congress to isolate and Democratic Party again. write off the strategy of former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti aimed at reestablishing a solid government debate) ended up with a split between a "minority" based on Italian Communist Party participation. The around Andreotti and a 57 percent "majority" around Jesuits and their spokesmen, such as President of the Fanfani who formally succeeded in capturing the conser­ Senate Amintore Fanfani, had the declared intention of vative Dorothean current. But despite the appearance, closing the congress with a formal unanimity in favor of Fanfani didn't really get a majority. Immediately after an alliance with the Italian Socialist Party, the only way the vote, Antonio Gava, the spokesman for Dorothean to keep Italy in the Anglo-American camp. leader Flaminio Piccoli, declared that the Dorotheans do What broke the rules of the game was the refusal of not consider themselves to be part of any majority. On Andreotti and allied DC Secretary General Benigno the contrary, they want to negotiate an agreement with Zaccagnini to make any compromise with the Fanfani Andreotti-Zaccagnini. forces. Officially the congress, one of the most violent in What happened at the DC congress in reality reflect­ the history of the DC (including fist fights during the ed the fight going on inside the Vatican, at this very 36 International EIR March 4- 10, 1980 © 1980 EIR News Service Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission strictly prohibited. moment, between the Jesuits and their historical enemies, Angelo Macchi declared in an interview two weeks ago), a fight that is taking into account not so much Italy in fully in the pocket of the Jesuits released public declara­ itself, but the international strategic situation. The aim tions in favor of Forlani's "mediation." of the anti-Jesuit forces in the leadership of the Catholic But then on Feb. 19th, the day afterthe "triumph" of church is to go for a second condemnation of the "Amer­ Forlani, organizers of Part ito Operaio Europeo distrib­ ican Heresy"-as one high-level source revealed-mean­ uted a leaflet before the congress, denouncing the "Jesuit ing breaking the Jesuit-Zionist control on the U.S. Plot Against DC." That day Andreotti delivered his church. speech. The situation in the tribunes, reserved to the public was drastically changed. Andreotti supporters How the Jesuit plan was defeated had arrived en masse. From the beginning of the speech For anyone who participated in the congress, the it was clear that Andreotti had abandoned the line of situation of the forces in fight was immediately clear. In Byzantinism. "Politics is not a technical question," he the large room of the Rome Palasport, Andreotti sat said, "but is based on the knowledge of history." To without leaving his chair for the entire six days of the show what he meant, Andreotti took up immediately the debate, silently taking notes of any invervention, refusing issue of the Jesuits. "Some say that the Jesuits are keeping to participate in the usual "corridor discussions," and their distance from the DC, but I see that Civilta' Catto­ just consulting from time to time with his men involved Iica praised the DC because the party brought the masses in the fight. In front of him, in the tribune reserved for to democracy. Unfortunately De Gasperi cannot be here. journalists, sat Father Antonio Caruso, the specialist of He never received such praises." The reference was the Jesuit organ, Civilta' Cattolica, in constant contact understood by the congress. Alcide De Gasperi, the with the headquarters of the paper where a special team founder of the DC and the political teacher of Andreotti, of political analysts was following all the reports of was in the beginning of the 1950s, the victim of a feroc­ international press and any news concerning the congress ious campaign by the Jesuits, who even tried to brain­ 24 hours a day. On this basis the Jesuit apparatus was wash his wife when De Gasperi opposed the Jesuits' push making its decisions. for an alliance between the DC and the fascist party of The plan of the company, as Civilta' Cattolica had Rome's black nobility, MSI. anticipated one week before, was to terrorize the conser­ Andreotti continued his speech, presenting a concep­ vative Piccoli. The message, made clear during the de­ tual history of the DC: the party that educated to democ­ bate, was: "If you stick to Andreotti, we will denounce racy the peasant masses otherwise condemned by their you as a 'Communist' and we will disorganize your rank bestiality. "Now," he said, "a dialogue with PCI is and file." necessary. In my past experience in government, I never After the introductory speech of Secretary Zaccagni­ would have succeeded to do what I did without the ni, calling for a national unity government, Fanfani collaboration of the PCI, in the fight against economic deployed his people, starting with Gian Aldo Arnaud, in crises and against terrorism; I challange everybody to a series of violent, personal attacks against Zaccagnini. come here and to say that this would have been possible The scenario included the deployment of a "Catholic" without the Communists." But the key issue is that the Soviet refugee and of German CDU president Helmut PCI agreed with the DC's foreign policy, a policy for Kohl, who, an invited guest, delivered a raving anti­ detente in the context of the Atlantic alliance. Soviet, anti-Communist speech, a speech applauded en­ "There is a divine will above us," Andreotti conclud­ thusiastically by the clique organized by Fanfani. The ed, "but it's up to us to concretely implement it." "public" accused anyone mentioning the word "national The day before, the PCI General Secretary, Enrico unity" of being "Communist." At this point the secret Berlinguer, a strategic ally of Andreotti, spoke in Flor­ card of the Jesuits, Antonio Bisaglia, the second leader ence before a crowd of 200,000 people for the "day of of the Dorotheans jumped on the podium and delivered peace." He said: "We call from Florence-that is the a furious demagogic speech of the "never with commu­ center and the heart of the highest expression of Italian nists" variety. Bisaglia, we learned, had concluded a pact civilization, the city that had been able to make a synthe­ earlier with Fanfani. sis of different worlds in a common push for peace. We After this first round, which confused the Dorothean call all the Italians to a great fight for peace. We do this delegates, Arnaldo Forlani, the "spiritual" son of Fan­ from Italy, the center and the seat of the Catholic church fani and the Jesuits' candidate for the secretariat, calmly and where one of the biggest Communist parties fights approached the microphone, Forlani played the "media­ and lives. From here it can come, it must and it will be a tor": yes we can talk with Communists, but what we need powerful and intelligent contribution to the history of now is a government with the socialists.