This article discusses Gladio, a clandestine NATO network established in Europe after World War II. Operating in Italy, it was part of a broader effort to contain the spread of communism during the Cold War.

One of Europe’s biggest state secrets – and a scandal that still shakes Italy today – was a clandestine army set up by NATO after World War II to block the spread of communism. During the Cold War, cells of the network operated in around ten European countries. In Italy, the covert operation was known by the code name Gladio. Natalia Mendoza, Tommaso Marro, and Laura Roudaut report.