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Italian Defense Minister Apologizes to Jews for Anti-jewish Articles

April 14, 1961
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A representative of Italian Defense Minister Giulio Andreatti who is also editor of a magazine in which two anti-Jewish articles have appeared, gave assurances today the magazine was willing to publish replies prepared by the Union of Italian Jewish Communities to rectify the “mistakes” in the articles.

The representative, the Minister’s secretary, gave the assurance in a call on Dr. Sergio Piperno, president of the Union. The secretary expressed regret about the articles and asserted they were not inspired by evil intentions. One of the articles in the periodical, “Noncreteness,” revived the notorious “Protocols of Zion,” accused Italian Jews of preferring “parasitic professions” and of being “obstinately against assimilation” with their fellow-Italians.

The call followed a meeting between Premier Amintore Fanfani and a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent who brought to the Premier’s attention the stiff protest lodged with the Defense Minister about the articles. The Premier promised to discuss directly with the Defense Minister the Jewish complaints and stressed his deep belief in the need to discourage and ban all forms of prejudice, discrimination and intolerance to safeguard the democratic way of life.

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