Propaganda Due: A Strange and Terrible Journey Into the Heart of the Deep State

The so-called "Black Friars" of P2

The Internet is awash with a host of Byzantine conspiracy theories concerning Freemasonry. The legitimacy of these claims varies widely and an individual can easily dedicate a considerable amount of time (and money) researching claims that are utterly baseless. And the diligent research will come to find that many of these claims are baseless or at least highly embellished, be assured. An overview of the vast litany of material claiming to reveal the nefarious aims of Freemasonry is well beyond the scope of this blog --indeed, several books could be written on this subject.

While the subject at hand --the notorious Propaganda Due lodge (generally referred to as P2) of Italy --is certainly a staple of Masonic conspiracy literature, much of said literature is of little value in understanding the true aims and masters of P2. P2 was many things, but a conventional Masonic lodge it was not. It has been described as a parallel or shadow government of Italy and during its heyday there was much merit to this claim. But P2's activities were not restricted to Italy --it was an international organization with branches all across Europe and the Americas. And its contacts were impeccable --the intelligence services of the US, USSR and various other European governments as well as various politicians and organized crime figures spanning either Bloc.

During its peak years of activity --from roughly 1969 to 1982 --Propaganda Due's presence in a host of scandals that rocked both Italy and the international scene always seemed to be vaguely discernable like lipstick traces on a cigarette. In one form or another the organization has been linked to the notorious "Operation Gladio" ..., the Vatican banking scandal, the bizarre death of Pope John Paul I, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, Italy's "Years of Lead" (a prolonged period of indiscriminate terrorism that destabilized the nation throughout the 1970s), various Latin American death squads and international drug trafficking.  (more...)

Propaganda Due: A Strange and Terrible Journey Into the Heart of the Deep State Part I    Part II    Part III  Part IV    Part V  Part VI    Part VII    Part VIII    Part IX    Part X    Part XI    Part XII