Attolico

Attolico is the Italian Ambassador whose breathless arrival at the Reich Chancellery interrupts a tense reception and gives Paul von Hartmann a reason to put aside, for the moment, the gun hidden inside his suit. He insists on seeing Hitler with an urgent message from Benito Mussolini, but the scene ends before the message is delivered or its consequences become clear.

Arrival and Recognition

Attolico enters amid a commotion on the steps, loudly demanding admission. The narrative first presents him through the strain of his arrival: elderly, stooped, bespectacled, red-faced, and out of breath, he looks close to having a heart attack. As the adjutant hurries to the entrance, Hartmann slips a hand inside his suit and feels the gun in his left pocket. Recognition changes the immediate meaning of the encounter: Hartmann knows Attolico from the diplomatic circuit and withdraws his hand.

An Urgent Diplomatic Appeal

Attolico identifies Hartmann as a man from the Foreign Ministry and asks him to tell the attendant that he needs to see the Führer at once. Hartmann takes charge, guiding him toward the grand salon and telling the adjutant to leave the matter to him. The interruption carries through the reception rooms: Attolico nods to men he recognizes but keeps moving, while conversations pause around him. In the second reception room, he tells Sauer that he has an urgent message from Benito Mussolini. Sauer scrambles to his feet in surprise and disappears into the adjoining room.

Bearing and Unresolved Entrance

The ambassador’s physical agitation persists after his request has been passed on. Once Sauer has gone, Attolico remains standing, staring straight ahead and trembling slightly. The contrast between his formal diplomatic address and visible distress gives the entrance its tension: he has secured a route toward Hitler, but the text does not reveal the message’s contents, whether he reaches Hitler, or what follows. His arrival also briefly redirects Hartmann’s attention from the concealed weapon to an urgent matter of state.