Aginter Press

Aginter Press, also known as Central Order and Tradition (Ordem Central e Tradição), was a covert anti-communist organization operating under the guise of a press agency. It was established in September 1966 in Lisbon, Portugal, during António de Oliveira Salazar’s authoritarian Estado Novo regime and operated until 1974. Below is a detailed history of Aginter Press, its origins, activities, and eventual dissolution, based on available information.

Origins

Aginter Press was founded by Yves Guérin-Sérac, a French former army officer, paratrooper, and member of the Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS), a far-right French paramilitary group that opposed Algerian independence in the early 1960s. After the OAS’s defeat and the Évian Accords (1962), which granted Algeria independence, Guérin-Sérac fled France to avoid prosecution. He found refuge in Portugal, a country with a staunchly anti-communist government under Salazar, which provided a favorable environment for his activities.

Guérin-Sérac, deeply influenced by anti-communist ideology and his Catholic faith, envisioned Aginter Press as a tool to combat Marxist and leftist movements globally. The organization was modeled as a press agency to mask its true purpose: conducting covert operations, including sabotage, assassinations, and psychological warfare. Its motto, “Our fight is an aspect of the total struggle against communism,” reflected its ideological drive.

Structure and Operations

Aginter Press was headquartered in Lisbon and operated as a front for a network of anti-communist operatives, including former OAS members, right-wing extremists, and mercenaries from across Europe. It was allegedly supported by Portuguese authorities, particularly the PIDE (Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado), Portugal’s secret police, and possibly received funding or logistical support from Western intelligence agencies, including the CIA, though concrete evidence of CIA involvement remains speculative.

The organization’s activities included

• Training in Covert Operations: Aginter Press ran training programs in sabotage, bomb-making, assassination techniques, and infiltration. Its operatives were taught to pose as journalists to gain access to sensitive areas or information.

• Support for Colonial Wars: Aginter Press was active in Portugal’s African colonies (Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau), where it supported colonial forces against independence movements. It conducted operations to destabilize anti-colonial groups, often in coordination with Portuguese military and intelligence.

• Involvement in the “Strategy of Tension”: Aginter Press is strongly linked to Italy’s “strategy of tension,” a campaign of terrorist attacks in the late 1960s and early 1970s aimed at creating fear and justifying authoritarian measures. The most notable incident was the Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan on December 12, 1969, which killed 17 people and injured 88. Italian investigations later pointed to Aginter Press operatives, including Guérin-Sérac and his associate Stefano Delle Chiaie, as potential collaborators with Italian neo-fascists in this and other attacks. The goal was to blame leftist groups, thereby discrediting communism and strengthening right-wing governments.

• International Operations: Aginter Press extended its reach beyond Europe and Africa, reportedly operating in Latin America and other regions to counter leftist insurgencies. It collaborated with other far-right groups and regimes, leveraging its network to conduct espionage and sabotage.

Key Figures

• Yves Guérin-Sérac: The founder and ideological leader, Guérin-Sérac was a skilled organizer who used his OAS experience to build Aginter Press into a sophisticated covert network. His writings emphasized a global crusade against communism, blending Catholic traditionalism with militant anti-Marxism.

• Stefano Delle Chiaie: An Italian neo-fascist and Aginter operative, Delle Chiaie was implicated in several terrorist acts, including the Piazza Fontana bombing. He worked closely with Guérin-Sérac and later fled to Spain and Latin America to evade justice.

• PIDE and Portuguese Authorities: The Estado Novo regime provided a safe haven for Aginter Press, allowing it to operate with relative impunity. PIDE’s involvement ensured protection and resources for the group’s activities.

Decline and Dissolution

Aginter Press’s operations came to an abrupt halt following Portugal’s Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974. The revolution, led by leftist military officers, overthrew the Estado Novo regime and established a democratic government. The new authorities dismantled PIDE and cracked down on far-right organizations, forcing Aginter Press to cease operations in Portugal. Its headquarters were raided, and documents exposing its activities were seized, though many details remained classified or incomplete.

After 1974, Guérin-Sérac and other key figures fled Portugal. Guérin-Sérac reportedly moved to Spain, where he continued far-right activities under Franco’s regime, while others, like Delle Chiaie, sought refuge in Latin American dictatorships. The dissolution of Aginter Press marked the end of its formal structure, but its operatives and networks continued to influence far-right movements in Europe and beyond.

Legacy and Investigations

Aginter Press’s activities came to light primarily through investigations in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in Italy, where parliamentary inquiries and trials into the “strategy of tension” uncovered its role in terrorist attacks. Documents discovered after the Carnation Revolution provided further evidence of its operations, though some archives were reportedly destroyed or suppressed. The group’s links to Western intelligence agencies remain a subject of debate, with allegations of CIA or NATO involvement in the context of Cold War anti-communist operations, such as Gladio, a NATO stay-behind network.

Aginter Press is remembered as a key player in Cold War-era covert warfare, embodying the extreme measures taken by far-right groups and their state sponsors to counter communism. Its history highlights the complex interplay of ideology, state power, and terrorism during this period.

Sources

Information on Aginter Press is drawn from historical accounts, declassified documents, and investigations available up to my knowledge cutoff. Key sources include Italian parliamentary reports on the “strategy of tension,” Portuguese archives post-1974, and scholarly works on Cold War covert operations. For further details, you may refer to:

• Italian judicial and parliamentary records on the Piazza Fontana bombing. • Portuguese historical accounts of the Estado Novo and PIDE activities.

• Books like NATO’s Secret Armies by Daniele Ganser, which discuss related covert networks (with caution for speculative claims).