SISMI
Encyclopedia
Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare (Military Intelligence and Security Service) was the military intelligence
agency
of Italy
from 1977-2007.
With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, SISMI was replaced by Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna
.
have been reorganized many times (SIM
1900-49, SIFAR
1949-65, SIOS
1949-97, SID 1965-77, SISDE
, SISMI, 1977–2007) in an attempt to increase their effectiveness and bring them more fully under civilian control
.
The agency was established as part of a broader reform of the Italian intelligence community, which represented the latest in a long string of government attempts to effectively manage Italy's intelligence agencies.
The first director of the service was Giuseppe Santovito (1978–1981), succeeded by General Nino Lugaresi was SISMI's director from 1981 to 1984; he testified on Gladio. General Nicolò Pollari
was SISMI's second last director; he resigned on 20 November 2006 after being indicted in the Imam Rapito affair
, so Prime Minister Romano Prodi
replaced him with Admiral Bruno Branciforte
.
Admiral Bruno Branciforte
was SISMI's last director, in charge until 3 August 2007.
SISMI reported to the Italian Ministry of Defense
and operated both inside and outside of Italy's borders. It was feasible that domestic Intelligence and Security, which normally fell under SISDE's jurisdiction (since it reported to the Ministry of the Interior
), involved SISMI too, unless the security threat came from organized crime.
Its duties included:
for "Understanding hidden things"). The verb "", which literally means "I comprehend", was chosen because «it evokes the noble root of intelligence, a discipline aimed at unravelling mysteries and holds in itself a constant tension directed to its final goal: knowledge».
Its Coat of Arms was granted by a decree of the President of the Republic
dated 28 January 2004.
, a high-ranking SISMI hostage negotiator, was killed at a U.S. Army checkpoint in Baghdad
by Mario Lozano
, purportedly after a communication breakdown between the Italian intelligence community and the occupying forces.
scandal. The forged documents purporting to detail an Iraqi purchase of yellowcake uranium from Niger
were given to a "cutout" named Rocco Martino by a Colonel in SISMI, Antonio Nucera. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/006908.php The head of SISMI, after claiming his agency received the documents from external sources, met with then-Deputy National Security Advisor, Stephen Hadley, on 9 September 2002.
Reportedly, the Sismi director vouched for the documents' authenticity at the meeting; as a result, the White House attempted to insert a reference to uranium from Africa in President Bush's upcoming address to the United Nations, scheduled for 12 September 2002. The CIA removed the reference 24 hours before the address was given. In bypassing the CIA, Pollari ignored the established protocol for contacts between Italian and American intelligence agencies. http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=7789.
President Bush later used the same discredited information when delivering his January, 2003 State of the Union address.
of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
, which SISMI Director Pollari had formally denied in testimony before a committee of the national legislature. Among these were:
Nicolò Pollari
himself would later be indicted on 5 December 2006.
On 16 February 2007, an Italian judge ordered twenty-six Americans and five Italians (including Pollari) to stand trial over the case on the 8th of June, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6368269.stm
As part of the judiciary investigation, a SISMI-run black operation targeting center-left politician Romano Prodi
and a vast domestic surveillance program
was uncovered. Pompa prevailed upon the newspaper Libero to print allegations that Prodi, when serving as European Commissioner, had authorized the CIA prison flights via Italy. Targeted in the surveillance program were La Repubblica
reporters Giuseppe D'Avanzo and Carlo Bonini, who broke the yellowcake forgery story.
, a European association of magistrates, as well as three French judges, including Anne Crenier, former president of the Syndicat de la magistrature
French union, who is married to Italian magistrate Mario Vaudano who works at the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
agency
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from 1977-2007.
With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, SISMI was replaced by Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna
Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna
The Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna , commonly known as AISE and formerly known as SISMI, is the external intelligence agency of Italy. Operating outside of Italy, the organisation protects Italy's regional interests mainly through the use of HUMINT.-External links:*...
.
History
Since the end of World War II, Italian intelligence agenciesItalian intelligence agencies
Italian intelligence agencies have been reorganized many times since the 1946 birth of the Italian Republic in an attempt to increase their effectiveness and bring them more fully under civilian control.- 1970s-2007 :...
have been reorganized many times (SIM
Servizio Informazioni Militari
The Italian Military Intelligence Service was the military intelligence organization for the Royal Army of the Kingdom of Italy from 1900 until 1946, and of the Republic of Italy until 1949...
1900-49, SIFAR
Sifar
Sifar is an album by the Indian singer Lucky Ali. Sifar was his second album released by Sony music in 1998.Sifar is an Urdu and Hindi word meaning "zero"...
1949-65, SIOS
SIOS
Servizio Informazioni Operative e Situazione , was an Italian military intelligence and security service. Its main duty was safeguarding the internal security of military bases and its personnel and military intelligence activities against enemy and foreign forces, especially through SIGINT...
1949-97, SID 1965-77, SISDE
SISDE
Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Democratica , was the domestic intelligence agency of Italy.With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, SISDE was replaced by AISI....
, SISMI, 1977–2007) in an attempt to increase their effectiveness and bring them more fully under civilian control
Civilian control of the military
Civilian control of the military is a doctrine in military and political science that places ultimate responsibility for a country's strategic decision-making in the hands of the civilian political leadership, rather than professional military officers. One author, paraphrasing Samuel P...
.
The agency was established as part of a broader reform of the Italian intelligence community, which represented the latest in a long string of government attempts to effectively manage Italy's intelligence agencies.
- In 1977, with Legislative Act n.801, the SISMI was created after a former chief of the SID, Vito MiceliVito MiceliVito Miceli was an Italian general and politician. He was chief of the SIOS , Italian Army Intelligence's Service from 1969 and SID's head from October 18, 1970 to 1974...
, was arrested for "conspiring against the State" (See Golpe BorgheseGolpe BorgheseThe Golpe Borghese was a failed Italian coup d'état allegedly planned for the night of 7 or 8 December 1970. It was named after Junio Valerio Borghese, an Italian World War II commander of the notorious Xª MAS unit, the "Black Prince", convicted of war crimes, but still a hero in the eyes of many...
). Thus the intelligence agencies were reorganized in a democratic attemptDemocracyDemocracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. This re-organization mainly consisted of:- The split of SID, the intelligence agency at that time, into two separate agencies with different roles: SISDESISDEServizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Democratica , was the domestic intelligence agency of Italy.With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, SISDE was replaced by AISI....
(the domestic one) and SISMI (the military one). - The creation of CESISCESISComitato Esecutivo per i Servizi di Informazione e Sicurezza was an Italian government committee whose mission was the coordination of all the intelligence sector, and specifically between the two civilian and military intelligence agencies , with the aim to report all the relevant information...
, with a coordination role between the two intelligence agencies and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. - The creation of the Parliamentary Committee, COPACOCOPACOComitato Parlamentare di Controllo per i Servizi di Informazione e Sicurezza e per il Segreto di Stato , is a body of the Italian Parliament deputed to survey and oversee the activities of the Italian intelligence agencies.- History :Since the end of World War II, Italian intelligence...
, to oversee the activities of the two agencies.
- The split of SID, the intelligence agency at that time, into two separate agencies with different roles: SISDE
- Since 1 August 2007, with Legislative Act n.124 of 08/03/2007, following the reform of the Italian intelligence agencies, SISDE, SISMI and CESIS were replaced respectively by AISIAgenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza InternaThe Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna , commonly known as AISI, is the domestic intelligence agency of Italy...
, AISEAgenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza EsternaThe Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna , commonly known as AISE and formerly known as SISMI, is the external intelligence agency of Italy. Operating outside of Italy, the organisation protects Italy's regional interests mainly through the use of HUMINT.-External links:*...
and DISDipartimento delle Informazioni per la SicurezzaThe Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza is a department of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, instituted in 2007 as part of the reform of the Italian security services...
, and the COPACO was granted additional oversight and control powers.
The first director of the service was Giuseppe Santovito (1978–1981), succeeded by General Nino Lugaresi was SISMI's director from 1981 to 1984; he testified on Gladio. General Nicolò Pollari
Nicolò Pollari
Nicolò Pollari is a general of the Italian Guardia di Finanza, who was the former head of Italy's national military intelligence agency, or SISMI, until his resignation on 20 November 2006.He was born in Caltanissetta, Sicily....
was SISMI's second last director; he resigned on 20 November 2006 after being indicted in the Imam Rapito affair
Imam Rapito affair
The Abu Omar Case refers to the abduction and transfer to Egypt of the Imam of Milan Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar...
, so Prime Minister Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
replaced him with Admiral Bruno Branciforte
Bruno Branciforte
Bruno Branciforte is an Italian admiral, who was the last head of the Italian SISMI military intelligence, nominated by Prime minister Romano Prodi on November 21, 2006...
.
Admiral Bruno Branciforte
Bruno Branciforte
Bruno Branciforte is an Italian admiral, who was the last head of the Italian SISMI military intelligence, nominated by Prime minister Romano Prodi on November 21, 2006...
was SISMI's last director, in charge until 3 August 2007.
Mission
SISMI was responsible for intelligence and security activities involving the military defence of Italy and for the integrity of the Italian State.SISMI reported to the Italian Ministry of Defense
Italian Minister of Defense
This is a list of Italian Ministers of Defence since 1947....
and operated both inside and outside of Italy's borders. It was feasible that domestic Intelligence and Security, which normally fell under SISDE's jurisdiction (since it reported to the Ministry of the Interior
Italian Minister of the Interior
This is a list of Italian Ministers of the Interior since 1861.-Kingdom of Italy:-Italian Republic:...
), involved SISMI too, unless the security threat came from organized crime.
Its duties included:
- clearing activities with the Prime Minister;
- nominating the Director of the Service and his assistants under CIIS supervision.
The directors
- General Giuseppe Santovito (First director, 13 January 1978 - August 1981)
- General Nino Lugaresi (August 1981 - 4 May 1984)
- Admiral Fulvio Martini (5 May 1984 - 26 February 1991)
- General Sergio Luccarini (27 February 1991 - 19 August 1991)
- General Luigi Ramponi (19 August 1991 - 9 August 1992)
- General Cesare Pucci (10 August 1992 - 12 July 1994)
- General Sergio Siracusa (12 July 1994 - 3 November 1996)
- Admiral Gianfranco Battelli (4 November 1996 - 30 September 2001)
- General Nicolò PollariNicolò PollariNicolò Pollari is a general of the Italian Guardia di Finanza, who was the former head of Italy's national military intelligence agency, or SISMI, until his resignation on 20 November 2006.He was born in Caltanissetta, Sicily....
(1 October 2001 - 20 November 2006) - Admiral Bruno BranciforteBruno BranciforteBruno Branciforte is an Italian admiral, who was the last head of the Italian SISMI military intelligence, nominated by Prime minister Romano Prodi on November 21, 2006...
(21 November 2006 - 3 August 2007)
Motto and logo
SISMI's motto, as seen on its logo, was "" (LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "Understanding hidden things"). The verb "", which literally means "I comprehend", was chosen because «it evokes the noble root of intelligence, a discipline aimed at unravelling mysteries and holds in itself a constant tension directed to its final goal: knowledge».
Its Coat of Arms was granted by a decree of the President of the Republic
President of the Republic
The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of government or heads of state in some republics:*President of Argentina, the Presidente de la República Argentina* President of Brazil, the Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil...
dated 28 January 2004.
Nicola Calipari and Giuliana Sgrena
In 2004, Nicola CalipariNicola Calipari
Nicola Calipari was an Italian SISMI military intelligence officer with the rank of Major General. Calipari was killed by United States soldiers while escorting a recently released Italian hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, to Baghdad International Airport.- Career :Calipari was born in Reggio...
, a high-ranking SISMI hostage negotiator, was killed at a U.S. Army checkpoint in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
by Mario Lozano
Mario Lozano
Mario Lozano is a member of the U.S. Army holding the rank of specialist , who was once indicted by an Italian court for his role in the death of Italian Secret Service officer Nicola Calipari in an incident on Route Irish, immediately following the Rescue of Giuliana Sgrena...
, purportedly after a communication breakdown between the Italian intelligence community and the occupying forces.
Yellowcake forgery
In 2005, SISMI was implicated in the yellowcake forgeryYellowcake forgery
The Niger uranium forgeries are forged documents initially revealed by Italian Military intelligence. These documents seem to depict an attempt made by Saddam Hussein in Iraq to purchase yellowcake uranium powder from Niger during the Iraq disarmament crisis....
scandal. The forged documents purporting to detail an Iraqi purchase of yellowcake uranium from Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
were given to a "cutout" named Rocco Martino by a Colonel in SISMI, Antonio Nucera. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/006908.php The head of SISMI, after claiming his agency received the documents from external sources, met with then-Deputy National Security Advisor, Stephen Hadley, on 9 September 2002.
Reportedly, the Sismi director vouched for the documents' authenticity at the meeting; as a result, the White House attempted to insert a reference to uranium from Africa in President Bush's upcoming address to the United Nations, scheduled for 12 September 2002. The CIA removed the reference 24 hours before the address was given. In bypassing the CIA, Pollari ignored the established protocol for contacts between Italian and American intelligence agencies. http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=7789.
President Bush later used the same discredited information when delivering his January, 2003 State of the Union address.
Imam Rapito
In July 2006, the Italian judiciary power issued arrest warrants for several SISMI officials involved in the joint CIA-SISMI operation resulting in the unlawful extraordinary renditionExtraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr , also known as Abu Omar, is an Egyptian cleric. In 2003 he was living in Milan, Italy, from where he was kidnapped and allegedly later tortured in Egypt. This "Imam rapito affair" prompted a series of investigations in Italy, culminating in the criminal convictions of...
, which SISMI Director Pollari had formally denied in testimony before a committee of the national legislature. Among these were:
- former Deputy Director Marco ManciniMarco ManciniMarco Mancini was the second-highest ranking officer of Sismi, the military intelligence agency of Italy until his 5 July 2006 arrest for his participation in the kidnapping of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr...
- General Gustavo Pignero, agency chief for Northern Italy
- Mancini's aide Giuseppe Ciorra
- Pio Pompa, aide to SISMI Director Nicolò PollariNicolò PollariNicolò Pollari is a general of the Italian Guardia di Finanza, who was the former head of Italy's national military intelligence agency, or SISMI, until his resignation on 20 November 2006.He was born in Caltanissetta, Sicily....
(he was indicted for "abusive interception" against the vice-president of La RepubblicaLa Repubblicala Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
, Giuseppe D'Avanzo) - former Trieste Station Chief Lorenzo Pillinini
- former Padua Station Chief Marco Iodice
- Milan Station Chief Maurizio Regondi
Nicolò Pollari
Nicolò Pollari
Nicolò Pollari is a general of the Italian Guardia di Finanza, who was the former head of Italy's national military intelligence agency, or SISMI, until his resignation on 20 November 2006.He was born in Caltanissetta, Sicily....
himself would later be indicted on 5 December 2006.
On 16 February 2007, an Italian judge ordered twenty-six Americans and five Italians (including Pollari) to stand trial over the case on the 8th of June, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6368269.stm
As part of the judiciary investigation, a SISMI-run black operation targeting center-left politician Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
and a vast domestic surveillance program
SISMI-Telecom scandal
The SISMI-Telecom scandal, uncovered in Italy in 2006, refers to a surveillance scandal believed to have begun in 1996, under which more than 5,000 persons' phones were tapped.- First arrests :...
was uncovered. Pompa prevailed upon the newspaper Libero to print allegations that Prodi, when serving as European Commissioner, had authorized the CIA prison flights via Italy. Targeted in the surveillance program were La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
reporters Giuseppe D'Avanzo and Carlo Bonini, who broke the yellowcake forgery story.
Spying on magistrates
Italian magistrates searching the SISMI's headquarters in August 2007 found documents proving that the intelligence agency had spied over various European magistrates between 2001 and 2006, whom it considered carrying a "destabilization" potential. These included the MedelMagistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés
Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés is a European association of judges and public prosecutors, set up in 1985 to promote a progressive vision of justice in Europe....
, a European association of magistrates, as well as three French judges, including Anne Crenier, former president of the Syndicat de la magistrature
Syndicat de la Magistrature
The Syndicat de la Magistrature is the French second largest magistrates trade union - in terms of membership - after the more conservative Union syndicale des magistrats....
French union, who is married to Italian magistrate Mario Vaudano who works at the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).