Citizens' Alliance for Mediterranean Freedom
The Citizens' Alliance for Mediterranean Freedom was an American political action group set up to try and influence the outcome of the 1976 Italian General Election. In early 1976, three months before the election, the CIA affiliated think-tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies held a conference on the 'Communist threat' to Italy. Panelists included William E. Colby, Ray Cline, John Connally, Clare Booth Luce, and Claire Sterling. The Citizens' Alliance for Mediterranean Freedom was set up after the conference, primarily under the initative of William E. Colby. [1]
The group took out adverts in major U.S. papers urging Americans to write to any relatives in Italy and urge them to vote against the Communists. The group's executive director Bill Gill warned American journalists against talking to the Italian media, which he claimed was "Infiltrated by the Communists". Instead he suggested they consult Claire Sterling or Ray Cline if they needed information on Italian politics. [2]
