alternatehistory.com

On the 8th of December, 1970, Junio Valerio Borghese's Neo-Fascist Party "Fronte Nazionale" aided by sympathisers in the police, the army, the Italian government and the American embassies military attaché and possibly even some figures in the DC and PSDI, launches Operation Tora Tora. The aim of the plot was to kipnap President Giuseppe Saragat, eliminate the head of the police Angelo Vicari, and the occupation of the Quirinale, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense and Italian public television broadcaster RAI. A crackdown on the Communist stronghold Sesto San Giovanni and the involvement of NATO troops, as well as the Mafia, were also planned.

In real life, the coup was called off by Borghese because the Christian Democrats were alerted to the coup and prepared to put it down with force, and the Mafia had failed to provide support. The planners were arrested a few days later, the leftist journal Paese Sera made the news public with the famous headline 'Subversive plan against the Republic' and eventually the coup resulted in a reorganisation of the Italian Secret Service. Freedom of Information has proved that the Americans were involved with the coup organisers, but only a minority of the CIA were actually in favour of a coup.

In this TL, let's assume the Mafia were tempted by the pardons Borghese offered them, and somehow the government remains unaware of the plan. America takes no action against the coup. By the 11th, the elderly Black Prince is now leader of Italy.

What happens?
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