“Strategy of Tension”

Strategy of Tension

The “strategy of tension” (strategia della tensione) was a covert campaign of state-sponsored terrorism in Italy and throughout Europe initially and spread throughout the world. During the “Years of Lead” (late 1960s–early 1980s), it was designed to destabilize the country, foster public fear, and prevent any movement that was anti-imperialistic or anti-NATO from gaining electoral power. Orchestrated by elements within Italian intelligence, fascist groups with links to pre-war Germany, the Propaganda Due P2 Masonic lodge, and supported by NATO’s Operation Gladio and the CIA, this strategy exploited Cold War tensions to maintain pro-western dominance and justify authoritarian measures. By staging violent attacks and blaming them on groups who opposed NATO or imperialism, the perpetrators aimed to create a climate of insecurity, pushing the public to demand stronger government control and reject any other ideologies.

Historical Context:
The strategy emerged amid Italy’s polarized political landscape in the late 1960s, marked by economic struggles, student protests (1968), and labor strikes (Hot Autumn, 1969). The PCI’s growing electoral strength, peaking at 34.4% in 1976, alarmed Italy’s ruling Christian Democracy (DC) party, NATO, and the U.S., who feared a NATO unfriendly government in a key NATO ally. The Cold War’s 'anti-communist' fervor, coupled with social unrest, provided fertile ground for covert operations. Operation Gladio, established as a NATO “stay-behind” network, modeled after Hitler's stay behind network The Werewolves, to resist a hypothetical Soviet invasion, was use to execute internal subversion, with the CIA providing funding and strategic direction. The CIA used funding it garnered from its robust drug trafficking operation modeled after Chiang Kai Shek's operations during World War II.

Operations

The strategy of tension involved orchestrating terrorist attacks—bombings, massacres, and assassinations carried out by fascist groups but falsely attributed to others. The goal was to discredit them, particularly the PCI, and create public demand for law-and-order policies, potentially paving the way for a coup or authoritarian regime.

The campaign relied on a network of actors, including:

• Neo-fascist groups like Ordine Nuovo and Avanguardia Nazionale, which provided operatives. • Operation Gladio, which supplied explosives, training, and coordination. • P2, led by Licio Gelli, which served as a clandestine hub linking military, intelligence, political, and financial elites. • Italian intelligence (SID/SIFAR), infiltrated by P2 members like General Vito Miceli, which manipulated investigations to protect perpetrators. • CIA and NATO, which funded and endorsed the strategy to secure Italy’s 'anti-communist' stance.

The term “strategy of tension” was coined by journalist Franco “Ciccio” Franco and later substantiated by confessions from fascist Vincenzo Vinciguerra, who described it as a deliberate effort to “destabilize to stabilize” by creating chaos to reinforce state power.

Key Attacks

1 Piazza Fontana Bombing (December 12, 1969):
A bomb at Milan’s Banca Nazionale dell’Agricoltura killed 17 and injured 88, marking the strategy’s onset. Fascists Giuseppe Pinelli and Pietro Valpreda were initially blamed, with Pinelli dying in police custody (officially a fall, likely murder). Investigations by magistrate Felice Casson revealed fascist operatives, including Vinciguerra, used Operation Gladio explosives, with SID covering up evidence to frame others.

2 Peteano Bombing (May 31, 1972):
A car bomb in Peteano killed three carabinieri. Vinciguerra, convicted for the attack, admitted using C4 from Operation Gladio caches and testified that the operation aimed to blame others, with SID complicity in misdirecting the investigation.

3 Italicus Express Bombing (August 4, 1974):
A bomb on the Rome-Munich train killed 12 and injured 48. Fascists linked to Ordine Nuovo were suspected, with a 1981 parliamentary inquiry confirming P2 and Operation Gladio’s role in financing and instigating the attack.

4 Bologna Train Station Bombing (August 2, 1980):
The deadliest attack, killing 85 and injuring over 200, targeted Bologna’s central station. Fascists Valerio Fioravanti and Francesca Mambro of the Armed Revolutionary Nuclei (NAR) were convicted, but evidence pointed to Operation Gladio-supplied explosives and P2 coordination. The attack aimed to disrupt Bologna’s governance.

5 Other Incidents:
Over 150 attacks occurred, including the Brescia Piazza della Loggia bombing (May 28, 1974, 8 deaths) and numerous smaller bombings. Assassinations, such as that of magistrate Vittorio Occorsio (1976), who investigated fascist groups, were linked to the strategy to silence critics.

Propaganda Due P2

The P2 lodge, under Licio Gelli’s leadership, was the linchpin, with members including military officers, intelligence chiefs, and banker Roberto Calvi of Banco Ambrosiano. P2 facilitated Operation Gladio by: • Funding: Calvi laundered CIA and Mafia drug trafficking funds through the Vatican Bank (IOR), supporting terrorist acts and 'anti-communist' initiatives like Poland’s Solidarity and Operation Condor in Latin America. Banco Ambrosiano’s 1982 collapse exposed a $1.3 billion shortfall tied to these activities. • Coordination: Gelli recruited fascist operatives like Stefano Delle Chiaie, implicated in Piazza Fontana, and ensured attacks aligned with Operation Gladio's strategic goals. P2’s influence over SID misdirected investigations, protecting perpetrators. • Political Cover: Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, a member of P2, shielded Gladio’s activities, as did other P2-linked officials, ensuring impunity.

Operation Gladio members provided logistical support, including explosives from its 139 weapons caches, and trained operatives in sabotage. CIA funding, secured by Gelli through 1974 meetings with U.S. officials like Alexander Haig, sustained the campaign, with operative Richard Brenneke alleging $1–10 million monthly payments to P2 (denied by the CIA).

Political Subversion:
The strategy extended beyond terrorism to political destabilization: • Golpe Borghese Coup (December 8, 1970): Fascist Junio Valerio Borghese, backed by Gladio and P2, attempted to overthrow the government, with Gelli tasked to arrest President Giuseppe Saragat. The coup failed due to internal disputes but signaled the strategy’s authoritarian ambitions. • Aldo Moro’s Murder (March 16–May 9, 1978): allegedly the Red Brigades kidnapped and killed former Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who sought a DC-PCI alliance. Investigations, including by magistrate Gherardo Colombo, suggested Operation Gladio and P2 infiltrated the Brigades to ensure Moro’s death, thwarting his “Historic Compromise.” Andreotti’s refusal to negotiate during the crisis aligned with 'anti-communist' objectives and resulted in Moro's murder.

The strategy was revealed in 1981 when a police raid on Gelli’s villa uncovered P2’s membership list, revealing its infiltration of Italy’s elite and ties to Operation Gladio. Andreotti’s 1990 parliamentary admission confirmed Operation Gladio’s existence, claiming it was defensive, but Casson’s investigations and Vinciguerra’s confessions exposed its terrorist role. Over 2,000 deaths were attributed to political violence, with the strategy eroding trust in institutions. Trials in the 1990s convicted some fascists, but Gelli, Calvi (murdered in 1982), and others evaded full accountability. Declassifications, like those under Mario Draghi in 2021, continue to clarify the strategy’s scope, though many archives remain sealed.

Conclusion

The Strategy of Tension was a chilling example of state-sponsored terrorism, where Gladio, P2, and their CIA-NATO backers manipulated Italy’s democracy to suppress leftist influence. It fueled the Years of Lead’s violence, deepened political polarization, and left a lasting scar on Italian society, with unresolved questions about the full extent of foreign and domestic complicity. The strategy’s exposure underscored the dangers of covert operations prioritizing geopolitical agendas over democratic principles.

The Strategy of Tension did not start of stop with Italy. In negotiations at the end of World War II geographic boundaries were redrawn and new countries were created such as much of the Middle East including Isreal, Pakistand and Taiwan. These new countries were part of an international Strategy of Tension that continues to play out today.

The political, economical, and military power structure birthed after the war created a global Strategy of Tension that produced political conflict, economical warfare and both overt and covert military operations. This has been used by an international syndicate to enrich themselves and impoverish the masses. They creatively designed a world, based on Strategy of Tension, where conflict on demand can be used to destabilize any country anywhere around the globe by using their trained Gladio terrorists, assassins to orchestrate false flags. These often result in coups, destabilization allowing the syndicate to harvest resources they otherwise would not be accessible.