SERBIA DURING 1941 SEEN BY ITALIAN JOURNALIST ALFIO RUSSO

Abstract

Alfio Russo was an Italian journalist who was a correspondent from Belgrade for the important fascist newspaper La Stampa in the period from 1937 to 1941. During his stay in Yugoslav capital, he wrote more than hundred articles considering the situation in the country, mostly about its foreign policy. He was well respected journalist and he interviewed many important Yugoslav officials, royals and ministers. Also, he made many friends, both Serbian and foreigners who temporarily lived in Belgrade. That fact gave him better inside on the region. Russo left many testimonies considering Serbia during 1941. Those were articles that he wrote for La Stampa and private notes that he gathered and published during 1944. In his articles he was on the official line established by the Fascist regime, while in his memoirs he wrote his personal opinion on various topics. He wrote about political and military situation in the country, but also about tragedy of common people. The Italian journalist was especially shocked by the events of 27 March and coup d’etat that changed the fate of Yugoslavia. During 1941, he traveled in Serbia and Independent State of Croatia writing about war atrocities. His personal notes are more important because in them he wrote freely without fear of censorship. Russo’s texts are important for better understanding, not only Italian foreign policy in the region, but also the internal situation in Serbia. He was an intelligent man invested in his profession who knew the region that he wrote about.