Claudio Mauri

La catena invisibile

Il giallo del fascismo magico

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LA CATENA INVISIBILE (THE INVISIBLE CHAIN)

Historical novel by Claudio Mauri

MURSIA

THE STORY: ”The invisible chain” is the story of an attempt on the life of Mussolini, that, up until now, has remained unknown; above all it’s the story of an incredible conspiracy organized in Rome by a mysterious English citizen.

The greater part of the book is based on rare and authentic documents, mentioned in the appendix, the fictional story reconstructs the environment and personality of the characters, of this exceptional story.

The character of Violet Gibson, the assailant on the life of Mussolini, has already aroused considerable interest (Richard Oliver Collin, an English biographer has already taken interest in her). ”The invisible chain” reveals an assassination attempt that has bewildering parallelisms and links to Gibson’s. Up until now it was thought that Gibson was mad and that she had acted alone, this novel throws new light on those events. In the book the character of the “President” appears, an Englishman living in Rome at the time, that as well as organizing the crime told in the book, may also have been the invisible director behind the attempt in 1926,an attempt connected to the Anglo-Saxon theosophical-occultist world.

THE LAYOUT OF THE BOOK:

“The invisible chain” tell the personal story of Marco, the future would-be killer, beginning from his childhood in a town in Emilia Romagna. The other two characters involved in the attempt on Mussolini, come into play in the forth chapter.(Imelda, Marco’s lover and wife of Prof. Bellafonte, a Roman university lecturer, and friend of Ezra Pound, deep admirer of Julius Evola and of the esoteric world that rotates around the “Ur” and “Krur” magazines. Bellafonte, during the time of the march on Rome, also met Aleister Crowley, who was in Italy in those years.) The overpowering love of Marco for Imelda is decisive for the course of his future life. The young man will complete his university studies in Rome, where the professor and his wife live.

The members of the “magic chain” involved (many of them unknowingly) in the attempt on Mussolini, reunite in Rome at the “Academy of higher culture”. In the past other magical chains were organised by Julius Evola and by the “Ur group”. The objective of the “Ur group” as written by Evola in his auto biography (“ The Cinnabar path”), was to invisibly influence the leadership of fascism, by means of magic rituals and by the evocation of forces connected with ancient Roman paganism. The “President”, the mysterious English citizen who has moved to Rome, reads a text that is fundamental from the esoteric point of view: “The Great Track: the view behind the scenes”, appeared in “Krur” in 1929. The author, possibly Prince Leone Caetani, tells of the discovery of a royal sceptre of “archaic workmanship” bearing the signs a ritual and of a series of mysterious episodes connected to the birth and the coming of Fascism, above all of the gift to Mussolini, on the 23^rd of May 1923, of an archaic Etruscan axe: “ The most secret wings carrying on the Roman tradition would have liked to propitiate a restoration of a pagan sense within fascism”. The “President” is a character linked to the English theosophical-occultist circles and probably, as already mentioned, had already been involved in the attempt on Mussolini by violet Gibson in 1926. In the past Gibson had attended the Munich Theosophical Society; after the attempt in 1926 the fascist secret police made inquiries in this direction. In 1927 the political police department received a report from an anonymous informer concerning the activities of the Theosophical society in Italy and it’s connections abroad. The Italian Theosophist groups were part of a more complex organization, the “Orient Star” founded in 1911 in Benares by Annie Besant, and by Gino Ianaradasa, <<a very cultivated Indian, grand master of the mixed masonry for the whole of India>>.

Annie Besant, as well as being the head of the entire movement, was also the Grand Master of the mixed rite in England and had been in contact with the Italian masonry many times. Besant’s antifascism had esoteric roots. In her vision, it had to do with the clash of different civilizations, that was necessary for a complete achievement of the liberal state.

In 1928, another report arrived to the fascist secret police about the Italian theosophical movement, which stated that theosophy was taking over masonry everywhere, above all disguising the old lodges as new theosophical circles. Annie Besant and the Indian Krisnamurti were at the head of the androgynous masonry of human rights, of the official theosophical association and the order of the star>>. Besant in a meeting, <<ordered to fight against fascism and to send donations to both Italian theosophical centres for the antifascist struggle in Italy, located in Turin and Palermo>>. Besant asserted that << the realization of a socialist civilization wasn’t an event in history freely chosen by mankind, but instead, it was the accomplishment in space and time of a cosmic law, Gods’ will, whom the other civilizations the Latin one most of all, were evading because of the malevolence of heaven governments>>. Within this scheme << England was the privileged land by God, the new holy Roman empire, in whose environment tomorrows new race would find its beginnings>>. So the President was playing a “double role” and, pretending an esoteric support of fascism, in reality he was preparing a new attempt on the life of Mussollini.

After a momentary and stormy separation, Love blossoms again between Marco (the main character of the book) and Imelda (the wife of the Roman professor) Imelda wants Marco to enter and be part of the esoteric world that rotates around the “Academy of higher culture”, to whom she and her husband belong.

Prof. Bellafonte, at the conference “The return to tradition and the revival of the Empire”, puts forth his theories on neo-paganism, and has a heated dispute with a leading member of the catholic world. Ezra Pound is also there at the conference, and warmly congratulates the professor. The president, in private rooms, warns Bellafonte harshly requesting him to be more cautious: their “Academy of higher culture”, opened in the capital to involve personalities from Roman high society, in reality conceals, behind the shield of the conferences and parties, a more secret activity which intends to resume the attempt of Julius Evola to influence the Regime by invisible ways and to propitiate the return of pagan tradition.

For these reasons, the maximum caution is necessary. Prof. Bellafonte and his wife ignore that the real objective of the president is to kill Mussolini. At the end of the conversation, Prof. Bellafonte, fulfilling his wife’s wishes, asks Marco to be admitted to the “Academy of higher culture”. At first the President seems to be annoyed by this request, but then changes his mind; perhaps he has found the individual that he was looking for. A fanatic and suggestible person to use for the attempt on the “Duce” (as in 1926).

Before Marco is let into the Academy, he has to undergo a series of strange and incomprehensible trials that engage him for many months. Imelda has also imposed on him another hard condition: until the President doesn’t let him into the esoteric circle, he won’t be allowed to see her. The writer Sibilla Aleramo, a friend of Imelda and Prof. Bellafonte, approaches Marco and invites him, for his own good, to keep away from them: he’s risking his life. The writer, who had been the lover of Julius Evola and Giulio Parise, the latter a Pythagorean and freemason (then member of the “Ur Group”), speaks from direct experience: also she, during the stormy relationship with Evola, had been annihilated in her personality and brought to brink of suicide. Many traces of this terrible experience lived by Sibilla Aleramo, who met many members of the Roman esoteric world, are found in her book “I love, therefore I am ” (in the novel Julius Evola appears with the name of Bruno Tellegra).

A mysterious emissary coming from London brings to Rome the necessary weapon for the attempt. In this event there is a strange parallelism with the attempt in 1926: the “mystery” of the revolver given to Violet Gibson has never been explained. Meanwhile Marco, tailed and controlled by unknown persons, has a nervous breakdown and decides to leave Rome, following the advice of Sibilla Aleramo. Imelda joins him, and tells him that the president has decided to let him into the “Academy of higher culture”, before however, he has to pass one last test. (They both ignore that it is the attempt on Mussolini). Marco, by now his personality annihilated and unable to oppose a will stronger than his, accepts without realising what he’s in for. Also in this case there is a singular parallelism with the events that preceded the attempt in 1926.

The attempt on Mussolini. Marco leaves for his mission, organized by the “president” in the most minimal detail, whose final aim and objective he still ignores. Like Imelda and the professor, he believes to be involved in a great and mysterious mission connected to the restoration of the Empire. The professor hands him an enigmatic and prophetical poem by D’Annunzio which speaks of this great return; The President entrusts him with the bag containing the weapon: he must only open it at the very last moment, when the aim of his journey will be clear. Meanwhile, the members of the “chain” meet to perform a propitiatory rite that would accompany the mission. What is Marco driven by, at this point completely plagiarized and helpless? A magic rite? A strong hypnotic suggestion? The only thing that is certain is that the psychological situation is similar to that of Violet Gibson many years before: the woman had moved unaware as if she was possessed by something much stronger than herself, guided and inspired by people the police couldn’t or didn’t want to identify (The inquires were stopped at a certain point for reasons of political opportunism, following a compromise reached with the English authorities to set free the woman and enclose her in a lunatic asylum). The attempt takes place in the open countryside, in one of the rare moments when Mussolini was left alone by his large personal escort. Marco finds himself face to face with the “Duce”, in total solitude. He takes up the weapon as he is ready to shot him in the chest. At this point, a sudden and unexpected return to consciousness pushes him to throw away the weapon that would have allowed him to change the future course of history. Mussolini, upset and struck by that gesture, believing the young man to be an anarchist individualist that acted alone and that he had met by mere chance circumstances, invites him to run away before his escort catches him and kills him. Before, however, he makes him swear to stay far away from politics and not to commit any more foolishness of that type again. The failed attempt will always remain a secret between him and the young man. The memory of the tragic end of Anteo Zamboni still weighs heavily on the soul of the Duce.

Marco returns to Rome. Still upset for what had happened, realizes that he was used against his own will and manoeuvred like a puppet to be sent to the sacrifice. Meditating revenge, he rushes to “The Academy of higher culture” but he finds it empty. After a while, Imelda and professor Bellafonte arrive on the spot who have a dramatic confrontation with Marco, at the end of which the lad realises that they where unknowingly co-involved and used by the President to collaborate in an attempt they don’t agree with. Meanwhile there is no trace of the President: The mysterious character seems to have disappeared into nowhere taking with him unexplainable secrets about his employers and reasons behind the attempt. The Professor believes that the President acted on the orders of The English esoteric circles, interested in the assassination of Mussolini. The three of them decide to keep the story the maximum secret. And go their separate ways. Marco parts from Imelda for good and returns to his hometown.

Marco next sees Imelda after a few years, on the occasion of the death of Prof. Bellafonte. It’s January 1940 and Italy will soon enter into war. Strange phenomena happen in Emilia Romagna, science is unable to explain them: the sky lights up in the middle of the night with an intense light, as if it were day time. (See “Unusual celestial phenomena observed in Faentino”, “Il popolo d’Italia”, 21^st January 1940) It’s surprising to note that the second secret of Fatima says: “When you will see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign God is giving you that the punishment of the world is close for all of it’s many crimes, by means of war, hunger and the persecution against the church and against the Holy Father”. Does the “unknown light” that appears in Emilia Romagna in January 1940 announce that Italy will soon enter the war?

Italy is devastated by the war, Marco enlists and fights to the end in Social Fascist Republic lines.

In 1975 Marco, now old and ill meets the author of this book and tells him his life story. Marco was the protagonist of a failed attempt with obscure and mysterious implications that could have changed the course of history. Many other great events had an occult direction, which the inattentive eyes of historians and commentators have missed.

The author compares the attempt in 1926 and the one narrated in the book. Both of these attempts could have been organised by the same person, the English citizen who in the novel is presented with the appellation of “president”. A photograph of the attempt in 1926, the only one in existence, mysteriously arrived from Latin America to the Fascist party in 1938, has been heavily retouched: A small cloud of smoke coming out of the pistol of Violet Gibson covers the face of somebody present at place of the attempt. Is it the “President”? The writer takes into consideration all the possible leads of the attempt: for example that of Duke Giovanni Antonio Colonna di Cesarò, member of the “Ur Group” and leading exponent of the antifascist opposition. The alarming articles, which appeared in the “Ur” and “Krur” magazines by “Arvo” (a pseudonym in which, alternatively, Julius Evola and Colona di Cesarò used to sign), that speak about hypnotic states, of fascination, of magical rituals, of control and subjugation of the will of others, of invisible forces hidden behind the scenes of history that influence people and events are especially analysed. Another lead that is connected to this last attempt, is the one that conducts to theosophical occult organisations located abroad, probably in England. The fascist secret police made inquiries in this direction and the author takes into consideration some significant aspects of these inquiries.

Several attempts, that happened in history, could have had mysterious implications and occult organizers that acted behind the scenes. Ali Agka wrote: “On the 31rd of March 1981 in Washington there was the attempt on president Reagan. A psychopath had shot at the president…… that day (the 13^th of May) I was invaded by a mysterious spiritual energy. I was not an inspired psycho, induced to the attempt on the Pope by the attempt on the Regan. Mysterious persons, causing the attempt on Reagan, conveyed on me, almost forced on me, still doing it naturally, their order for the attempt on the Pope. I’m only an instrument of mysterious people that I place within the absolutely unique and unrepeatable event in the whole of world history. The attempt on the Pope”. Is it a matter of a raving mind, or words in which need to be meditated on?