Terrorism Allegations
Alongside his political career Rauti was also the subject of a series of allegations linking him to the terror campaigns associated with the 'strategy of tension'. A noted anti-communist, Rauti sought to use a twin-track approach against the communists, with both strands calling for violent action. He supported the old tactic of direct street fights with far left militia groups but also endorsed a process of infiltrating these groups and thus provoking them to more action and more direct confrontation with law enforcement. Rauti hoped that his policy would create an atmosphere of civil unrest that he hoped would be more conducive to a neo-fascist takeover.
Rauti's name cropped up in the inquiry into the Piazza Fontana bombing whilst he had also been named as having attended high-level terrorism planning meetings in Padua in 1969. The Treviso magistrates brought Rauti to trial in 1972 over possible involvement in the Piazza Fontana attack but ultimately he was acquitted due to a lack of evidence. Rauti was aided in this by being able to provide an alibi for the Padua meeting.
Rauti was known to be close to Mario Merlino and by extension was linked to Merlino's close comrade Stefano Delle Chiaie. He also collaborated with former Ordine Nuovo member Franco Freda, producing a series of pamphlets with him in the 1960s. Some documents have also claimed that Rauti was either a 'contact' or a paid informer for the head of the Servizio Informazioni Difesa, who was itself linked to the strategy of tension. It has also been suggested that he was responsible for setting up the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari along with Guido Giannettini. However there was never any concrete evidence to link Rauti to terrorism and he was never convicted of any offences.
Read more about this topic: Pino Rauti