> Chris Doss wrote:
>
> > Weren't there a lot of Jews among the Italian Fascists? I remember
hearing
> > somewhere that Mussolini saved a lot of Jews by insisting to Hitler
that
> > those who were fascists or relatives who were fascists be exempted
from
> > deportation. Anybody know if this is true?
> >
>
> I saw a 1980s Italian documentary last year (shown by an
Italian-American club
> in San Francisco of which I am a member) which interviewed Italian
fascist army
> officers who protected Jews despite repeated demands by Hitler and his
generals
> to deliver them up for killing. Mussolini passed on the demands
repeatedly to
> his officers and they steadily refused to obey.
>
> The interviewed fascist officers said things such as "these people
were our
> friends, neighbors, co-workers. How could we abandon them?"
>
> Mike Ferro
I can't answer the question but it's a point that has been puzzling me.
I remember from my history classes in the early 60s that Mussolini resisted Hitler's anti-semitism. My professor at the time (maybe it was my history textbook) stressed that Mussolini saw no sense in harming his more productive citizens. The claim made an impression on me.
But today, Italian fascism is treated as if infected with Hitler's anti-semitism.
So I'm confused. Is the pop culture simplifying history (which is what I suspect) or was my history course whitewashing Italian history?
-- John K. Taber