Operation Gladio: The Unholy Alliance Between the Vatican, the CIA, and the Mafia

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After the exposure of the Italian branch and inquiries by Italian officials to their Belgian counterparts, Defense minister Guy Coëme and Prime Minister Wilfried Martens made the existence of the Belgian section of the Gladio-network public in a press meeting on November 7, 1990. To keep its operations covert, the ‘O’ Organisation was slotted within the ‘publications’ department, despite its operations and ambitions being far from literary. These stay-behind networks were, in essence, super secret armies in at least 14 European countries, which were kept secret from the official governmental structures of the host countries – being controlled by other forces such as the CIA and MI6. The history of the Belgian branch of the Gladio network starts in 1948 when Prime Minister Paul-Henri Spaak and Minister of Justice Paul Struye gave the Staatsveiligheid (State Security Service) permission to discuss with allied intelligence services the organization of a clandestine stay-behind network. The underground network had its reach all over Western Europe, from Belgium and France to Switzerland and Norway.

Operation Gladio, Part I: the First Years Inquiry into Operation Gladio, Part I: the First Years

When we began 4 years ago with this case, we couldn't believe this lawyer, but now I can't deny it any more. This lead him to the discovery that there was a secret network which had also used the resources of the state to carry out multiple bombings.Over the course of investigations, the depth of Mafia influence on the Italian political system and business infrastructure was made public. In the three years 1956-1958, these mostly related to establishing and mobilising the training centres of Capo Marargiu (CAG) and Olmedo (a communications base).

CIA ORGANIZED SECRET ARMY IN WESTERN EUROPE

Initially, this was a purely domestic affair, but in 1940 with the inception of Special Operations Executive (SOE) the same tactics were taken behind enemy lines throughout occupied Europe. But this must also be conducted within the bounds of legality, using preexisting powers bestowed upon the State to ensure internal stability and security.closely with an armed, undercover Swiss organisation [P26] through a series of covert agreements which formed part of a west European network of "resistance" groups', the press informed a stunned public in neutral Switzerland. C.C, were initially headquartered in Paris, but moved along with SHAPE, NATO's central headquarters, to Mons in Belgium after the French withdrawal from NATO's unified command structure in 1966. They found that a secret meeting of Generals directing the secret stay-behind armies in the numerous countries in Western Europe had been held in the secret NATO-linked Gladio headquarters ACC as recently as October 23 and 24, 1990.

Operation Gladio - Wikispooks Operation Gladio - Wikispooks

The revelations began to mount and a picture emerged of a NATO Clandestine Planning Committee, responsible for the Gladio armies; of protocols which actively protected right-wing extremists from pursuit since they would be useful in anti-Communist activities.The linchpin moment came in August when Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti confirmed Gladio's existence before the Italian Senate after years of denials. Dutch program Brandpunt also ran a piece, interviewing former agents and revealing the division to still exist in the early 2000s. The operatives were trained to accompany the government aboard in case of a Soviet invasion, and then establish liaisons with the Belgian resistance movement and engage in warfare. The government decided on November 23, 1990, a few days after the proposition for a parliamentary investigation to officially disband the network. These initial negotiations led to closer collaboration between the three countries' secret services under the name Tripartite Meeting Belgium.