Pietro Badoglio

Pietro Badoglio is presented as the military special commissioner for Venezia Giulia and, briefly, as a discreet interlocutor in the Fiume crisis. His meeting with Benito Mussolini in October 1919 gives the narrative a private counterpoint to public declarations of uncompromising Italian patriotism: Mussolini told him he favored a negotiated solution, and Badoglio reported the conversation to Prime Minister Francesco Saverio Nitti.

Military Position and Setting

Badoglio’s position placed him at the intersection of military authority and the dispute over Fiume. The account identifies him as the special commissioner for Venezia Giulia and recalls his association with two contrasting episodes of the First World War: the defeat at Caporetto and the victory at Vittorio Veneto. The narrative uses this compressed reference to establish his military standing before turning to his dealings with Mussolini.

Meeting with Mussolini

After flying back from Fiume, Mussolini landed at Aiello airfield near Udine. His pilot, Lombardi, avoided a stop by the Carabinieri by dropping him off and continuing the flight without switching off the engine. Mussolini was then brought to Badoglio, with whom he had a private conversation before being allowed to continue to Florence.

In that conversation, Mussolini said he would support a compromise if it did not meet opposition from Gabriele D’Annunzio. He suggested that D’Annunzio might accept a solution other than annexation, and also urged relaxed censorship and economic assistance for the rebellious city. This account contrasts Mussolini’s private readiness to negotiate with the public professions of willingness to die for Fiume’s Italian character.

Telegram and Significance

Badoglio’s telegram to Nitti, dated October 8, 1919, recorded that Mussolini had promised to keep their discussion quiet and would vigorously support the proposed solution in his newspaper if D’Annunzio did not oppose it. Badoglio made no claim that Mussolini had disclosed D’Annunzio’s intentions; instead, he reported his own impression that Mussolini believed D’Annunzio was not firmly committed to annexation as the only possible outcome.

The episode gives Badoglio a limited but consequential role as the recipient and recorder of a private political assurance. His report preserves the gap between Mussolini’s public rhetoric and his confidential position, while carefully distinguishing what Mussolini said from what Badoglio inferred about D’Annunzio.