The British spy at the heart of Italy's Churchill conspiracy theory | The Spectator

Theory Briefing

• A long-running Italian theory claims Churchill sent Mussolini letters so compromising that Britain scrambled to recover them after the war.
• A British spy sits at the centre of the story, raising the question of whether the operation was a cover-up or a fabrication.
• The letters have never been conclusively authenticated, leaving the conspiracy suspended between plausible statecraft and elaborate myth.
• Churchill's wartime reputation gives the theory its bite — if true, it would recast one of history's most celebrated leaders.