Rome has only two afternoon newspapers: the Fascist Giornale d'Italia and the Catholic Osservatore Romano, semiofficial organ of the Holy See. When Germany invaded Poland last September, Osservatore Romano's circulation jumped from 40,000 to 130,000 during the Polish campaign, because it was the only paper in which Italians could read news from both sides. Later, Editor Count Giuseppe Dalla Torre decided to limit his paper's circulation rather than risk making trouble (TIME. April 29).
Fascist Party members were warned not to be seen in public reading the Vatican paper. Fascist editors, led by Roberto Farinacci, onetime Party secretary and Italy's...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
