Original subtitles

THE MATTEI AFFAIR

Milan October 27, 1962

At 6:58 p.m., the airplane of ENI president Enrico Mattei...

...crashed near the town of Bascape.

Also killed were the pilot Bertuzzi and the journalist William McHale.

It was raining so hard.

Then what did you do?

I went outside in front of the house. The sky was blazing…

Like a big bonfire.

Flames were falling everywhere.

Then I realized it was an airplane.

I put on my boots and ran as fast as I could... but the flames...

India Alfa Papa Linate. Do you read me? Over.

Come in. India Alfa Papa Linate.

How do you read me? Come in.

They don't read me.

Emergency! All emergency personnel on the field.

Call the ambulance!

The flames were too hot.

I went for help.

- Who got there first? - I arrived at once, and the others followed.

It was horrible. Everything was burning.

It went down near Bascape. A farmer called the police.

Mrs. Mattei! Mrs. Mattei!

Mr. Mattei has had an accident.

Enrico is dead.

Don't say that. It's an accident.

Everybody, let her pass.

Enrico, what's wrong? Are you ill?

It's nothing. Go back to bed. I'm all right.

Why are you so upset? What's in that letter?

It's just the usual threats! Don't worry.

Please. I beg you...

It's nothing serious. Go back to bed.

Get back. That's enough!

Hello? Yes, this is ENI.

Network television will release the story tonight.

The Po Valley has become…

We hoped for more. There isn't much oil...

...But there's methane. Lots of methane…

From the sea at Gela to the hills of Pistieri…

…not even nature is friendly here.

The land is barren and the people poor…

But ENI has found methane here, in all these villages.

This discovery can transform a land…

...So destitute that not even Christ will come here.

Oil is just my hobby. Say that my real work is fishing!

In February, 1953...

ENI was founded for the purpose of…

Promoting national interest in the field of methane.

I know how difficult it will be to replace him, sir.

He was coming from Sicily.

Just before he left, he had a strange phone call.

I must tell you something serious.

There has been sabotage at the Gela airport.

Are you sure it's sabotage?

That's what the police think.

You should ask for extra surveillance for your arrival.

Absolutely not.

I won't make this official.

We've had enough fear.

If they want to kill me, let them.

There was enough for five dogs to eat.

I heard a meowing.

I turned to look and saw a kitten.

One of those weak, scrawny kittens.

It was scared to death and very hungry.

It advanced, still meowing, looking at those 2 dogs...

Who fortunately had their heads down.

So it got to the dish.

It meowed just once...

And leaned on the edge of the dish with its little paw.

The German shepherd hit him...

Throwing this cat 3 or 4 yards.

Its back was broken.

The kitten lived a few minutes, then died.

That incident made a great impression on me.

I often recall it, especially these days.

It's like this…

We've been kittens all these years.

There were massive interests against us. Frightful ones.

Controversies arose about us.

Terrible ones.

We continued to work. We became stronger.

We tried not to get hit.

They were either trying to suffocate us…

Or leave us weakened.

No, I think we should cut this. It's too anti-American.

It seems to me that the kitten was already a tiger.

A paper tiger!

He had to fail. Success was dangerous for Italy.

Please explain what happened.

We heard an explosion.

Where were you?

At home.

We went to the window and saw a flash of light.

In the sky.

Did you hear an explosion?

A loud sound and then huge flames rising from the ground.

We thought maybe a haystack was on fire.

What is your name?

I live in Bescape. There were others…

Others were here when I arrived.

I saw a glove…there was a hand inside.

A hand?

Near a bush. About 400 feet from the wreck.

Did you arrive soon after the plane fell?

Where were you before that?

We had just left the house to go out...

My husband and a friend…

And we saw…we heard an explosion, and we saw a flash.

Where was this flash?

It was where the explosion was.

But was it in the sky or on the ground?

It was on the ground.

These are tail pieces.

No, the front and cockpit fell over here. The rest fell there.

Yes, right in the trees. The other parts are scattered.

Does anyone remember anything specific?

I saw smoke...and heard an explosion...

And I got here as fast as I could.

There was so much confusion. At first we thought it was…

A bomb instead of a plane, because I saw…

…a coat hanging from a tree.

People ran over. They told us it was Mattei.

At first we didn't know who it was, lying there.

By the ditch, I saw an arm…

...an arm with a watch on it.

There were other things on the trees. A raincoat…

…and there were pieces of the airplane.

15 years of research have shed new light on the problem of oil in the Po Valley

The future of this area finally looks bright.

The structure of these fields is different…

They're 20 miles long and 2 miles wide.

Based on this information, our high hopes are justified.

Hello, may I speak with Mr. Ferrari?

Who is calling?

Is this Mrs. Ferrari?

Who are you?

I'm Enrico Mattei, the director of AGIP.

My husband is out.

I must speak with him, ma'am. It's urgent.

He's not in Milan. I don't know where he is.

Don't worry, I'm not calling for political reasons.

He never tells me where he goes.

Please tell him I called…

…and tell him to call me at my office in the AGIP.

I can't promise anything, but I'll try.

I'll wait here for two more hours.

Hello, Mr. Ferrari?

Who are you?

You don't know me, but I sit in your old chair at AGIP.

Yes. Go on.

I read a report of yours.

I would like to see you immediately.

It's 3:00 am! Can't we make it tomorrow?

Not now. Can you come to my office?

I'd rather not go there.

Fine. Then meet me in… Piazza Duomo.

The Ministry of Industry wants to liquidate AGIP.

I'm opposed to selling a state company.

Your report confirmed my reasons for feeling that way.

Please explain everything in detail.

I'll be happy to.

Is your information reliable? Are you sure of the facts?

Mr. Mattei, this report is the result of studies…

…and experiments made by technicians.

Cross checking is automatic in such work.

This team, these technicians…

…will you write a detailed report for me?

Will you sign it?

As far as I'm concerned, absolutely!

There's the well.

Last February, that well…

Well number one disclosed the produced methane at 140 atmospheres.

And we stopped at 4200 feet.

The deposit could be enormous.

I didn't tell the military authorities.

I stopped all research immediately.

The English and Americans were advancing towards the Po.

Sometimes they would even destroy small plants like this one.

I convinced the Germans to dismantle the derrick.

We found some peasants…

…I hid the parts among some of their machinery.

Look, there's a piece left where I hid it.

Who knows what they'll do with it.

Let's get going.

What about the Germans?

They didn't understand anything. I left the well open…

…just enough to produce a little gas, so they could fuel their trucks.

How could a man like you help the Fascists?

I'm a technician, Mr. Mattei, not a political man.

That's true, but…

But you belonged to the Social Republic.

Oh, never mind.

Do you want to work for me at AGIP?

But...would that even be possible?

We've been purged!

Don't worry. The purging...

…is done by me.

Who are you?

Who am I? Who are you?

I'm the director of AGIP.

Oh, excuse me. Everybody tries to get in. I have to stop them, or…

You were right to ask.

Ah, Mattei. I've heard of you.

Don't let anybody in any more.

Do the workmen come every day?

Yes, in the morning. Play cards all day long.

And your salary?

What salary?

You'll be paid.

I hope so. We need changes.

I'm not asking too much. I need less than $2,000.

But you have no collateral.

AGIP belongs to the state.

But AGIP is being liquidated.

They'd like to, but…

…I won't let them.

I'm amazed at you.

You want to keep a Fascist inheritance.

Four plants are a laugh.

The methane myth is a Mussollini bluff.

However the wind blows, you stay behind that desk.

Some words sound bad coming out of your mouth.

Let me say them.

Mattei was desperate.

Looking for all sorts of stuff, he came to Rome.

For him, Rome meant, of course, his old friend, Parri…

…who had become the head of the cabinet.

For me the problem, I must say…

…I must confess…was not simple.

I had an obligation, an official obligation…

We were under pressure from the allies.

Certain authorities had to be listened to.

Remember, I represented a nation which had been conquered…

…which had to keep an armistice…a heavy armistice…

...which demanded, daily, a non-fiscal interpretation.

It put me in a difficult position with respect to those Allies.

It's only fair to say...

...that AGIP drills into the ground...were drilling into the budget

But now…

…we know…

…that at Caviagga there's an enormous amount of methane.

Italy's never been industrialized because she lacked iron and coal.

Methane is…a coal substitute.

It can change the face of Italy.

On the other hand, how could one be sure…

…that the decision not to liquidate was a good one?

The better decision might be one prompted…

…by some government colleagues…

…from the Liberal party, who on general principle….

…were opposed to such concessions which, in the past, had become…

…as I have said, parasitic.

I know this. I've spoken with everyone.

They're wrong. They don't understand the problem.

They repeat what they read in the papers. And the papers...

The papers defend their interests.

Esso wants the Po Valley. Why?

And why does Edison offer $100,000 for AGIP?

What do they want with this useless stuff?

What I think is…

…they know what methane is and how much there is.

And they want it without competition…

Especially…from a share concern.

RESEARCH AND PROMOTION

Watch out! It's gas.

Run. Get away. It's dangerous.

Call Mattei in Milan! Hurry up!

Keep going. Go on!

Light it!

MILAN 1947 - EXTENDED NETWORK OF METHANE PIPELINES...

...TO FEED INDUSTRIAL NORTHERN ITALY WILL ASSURE…

…FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF OUR ECONOMY.

OIL FIELDS DISCOVERED BETWEEN PIACENZA AND MILAN

ITALIAN OIL IS A REALITY.

ITALY HAS WON THE OIL BATTLE.

The oil fever lasted four days.

Fantastic profits were made.

Then, the bottom fell out...all bluff!

There was methane, but very little oil.

So why did Mattei tell the press he found oil when there was none?

That's easy. To create a scandal to show methane's importance.

To keep certain industrialists from pushing to get into the Po Valley.

But that just provoked a lot of speculation which favored his enemies.

Calculated! The papers published the news.

State interests on the market also profited...

...ANIC...the oil industry...

...his own investments.

These things are common knowledge.

That's not true. People never know the facts.

I'm writing a book on Mattei.

And everywhere I look, I find a school of sharks.

It's true. At Cortemaggiore, there isn't much oil.

We're looking for more.

But there's methane. Lots of methane.

This is why I asked you here.

Because you represent public opinion in Italy.

Only you can make people understand...

...that it's a state concern, AGIP...

...that discovered the secrets of our soil.

Only if we keep these enormous mineral riches in the hands of the state...

...can they be used for communal advantage.

According to Italian law, the state...

...owns everything under the soil.

It can keep it or give it away.

And private enterprise?

Let them promote private enterprise.

But in other parts of Italy.

Not where oil and methane have already been found.

Here, a state firm...

...has won the right to take the prize.

Only AGIP has this right.

This Po Valley has become… sort of…

…an open vault…

…into which one needs only put one's hands…

…to obtain its treasures.

It can change the face of Italy.

Why did he jerk it like that?

Instinct, I suppose…

He must have felt he was at the wrong altitude.

He pushed the controls, and the plane spiraled.

We think a sudden emergency caused…

"Abnormal pulling on the controls."

This aircraft has shown a sensitivity to this kind of handling….

…with immediate loss of control.

However, he was an excellent pilot.

But sometimes, panic occurs when the unexpected happens.

On the altimeter, for instance.

Pilots do have those sudden feelings.

Fatigue, bad weather…

And finally, no visibility.

We can't exclude the possibility of weariness.

The investigation…it's been so long ago…

…one would have to review the whole thing.

We examined everything. No stone was left unturned.

Of course, we all thought of sabotage…

Look at the pictures.

The accident has been attributed to…

…loss of control in a right hand spiral. Cause unknown.

Look. The landing gear is inside.

Here are the flaps, and the fin.

There's no sign of an unexpected maneuver.

What do you think?

The controls were pushed…it fell in a corkscrew dive.

Some people say the plane exploded in the air.

Had the plane fallen, the wings would have cut some poplars…

…broken some branches.

But that didn't happen. Not a tree was touched.

And the remains of the plane were found within a 1300 foot radius.

The plane exploded in the air!

It did not explode in the air!

That point is not open to dispute!

No expert would accept such a hypothesis.

Why didn't the Commission have a ballistic report made?

On what?

No evidence has emerged from examination of the victims' remains...

...to indicate an explosion.

How come no tree was touched when the plane fell?

Because the plane fell in a spiral.

It fell like a knife between the rows of trees.

There's another theory.

Some explosive material, some plastic, placed in the tail.

When the pilot turned on the tail lights...

...an explosion cut the central cables.

Then the plane would fall in a spiral, like you say.

That's impossible.

Then the plane would have exploded earlier...

...at dusk, when the pilot would've turned on the lights.

What about the peasant? He said it exploded in the sky.

No, not exactly.

He said that he saw flames falling from the sky.

It could have exploded on the ground...

...and the flames were just fiery fragments.

He gave different versions to me and the committee...

...from what he gave the night of the accident.

I didn't see anything.

Weren't you the first to call the police?

Where were you the night of Mattei's crash?

I already told that...to the government men.

Tell me, too! Where were you?

In the village. I went to pick up my daughter.

Go on with the slides.

Don Sturzo.

Scelba.

De Gasperi.

Mr. Valerio.

Without Vanoni's backing, Edison would have everything now.

Where can we find a face like that?

There's Vanoni!

When he died, Mattei latched onto anyone he could.

With Fanfani, first friends...

...then enemies.

Then friends again.

How can the public understand political currents?

First white…

…then red…

…then white…

Even Princess Gabriella. They wanted her, too.

That journalist is on the line from Palermo.

Mattei wanted the Princess to marry the Shah of Iran, to get his oil.

Even the Jesuits agreed.

Hello, De Mauro.

I have some work for you.

I'm doing a movie on Mattei.

I'm reconstructing the 2 days in Sicily… before he died.

Who he saw…who he met…where he went.

…the speeches he made.

Okay, got it.

You're lucky! After Mattei died…

…my paper sent me to interview the peasants at Gagliano.

Yes. Where he made his final speech.

OK. See you later. So long.

Pass me the slide of the American oilman…

…the one Mattei met in Monte Carlo in 1960.

Tell him that's the opposite of what I should do.

I'm the head of a state concern.

I have to get the lowest price possible for my product.

Make it clearer than that…

Perhaps he doesn't understand.

In Italy, price politics are decided by us.

The kitten is now a tiger.

I don't think they'll understand…

…about the kitten.

Tell him the story. It's a good example.

But...

...how can they?

They told me…

…they want to build one themselves, from Marseilles.

Who told you that?

They did…before you interrupted me.

From Marseilles.

This language barrier…what a mess.

I have to speak directly.

Do you understand Italian?

Our pipeline is direct.

Po Valley, Switzerland, Germany.

Starting from Marseilles means…

…a long detour. Where's the advantage?

Why not use ours? This seems like political revenge.

Ours is the most economical way.

You won't be able to.

Our company will build the refinery…

…perhaps in collaboration with another oil company.

Wouldn't it be better for three of us to build it?

What did he say?

Tell me!

Let's go. Lunch is over.

First tell him this.

I will never forget this conversation.

I promise him that.

You, too. Remember what power is.

LENIN

Italy lost her colonies with the war.

Some thought it bad but it was good.

Now we are welcome in Iran, the U.A.E…

…Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, even here in Russia.

France would do well to renounce her colonial past…

…free herself of international oil interests.

The Seven Sisters.

In France, from Gen. De Gaulle down, they say…

…you are a dangerous enemy…

…who is trying to ruin French interests in Algeria…

…and in the Arab world.

I am Italian, not French.

I represent a state corporation so I must…

…take a stand which coincides with our interests.

We need Arab oil.

Your trouble in the Arab world is Algeria.

We must take a different point of view from yours.

You are accused…

… of bullying your way into international politics…

…in North Africa, using oil as an excuse.

Anyone in the oil business plays foreign politics.

The monopoly of American oil interests makes it necessary.

We've always spoken of an oil war.

I didn't invent that expression.

As for the Sahara, it's the oil hidden under the sand…

..that's the Algerian tragedy.

They say you're involved with arms to Algeria.

They say many things.

If you want my opinion…

…Algeria has a right to independence.

Who are they? What do they want?

Yugoslavs! They want us to land.

What? I have an urgent appointment in Rome.

Did you get permission to fly here?

Then we have to land.

They're forcing me to circle Belgrade.

Tell them we won't land.

This is Enrico Mattei. I won't land.

Tell Minister Rankovic. He's my friend.

It's urgent.

I think we'd better do what they want.

It's important for me to go on.

Yes, I see them.

Thank you. Let's go.

The Arabs are my partners.

The Americans didn't want me. So I have the Arabs.

Is it a crime not to take all the oil, like you?

I leave them half, for themselves.

But won't you pay more for oil?

You pay the Arabs 75%. The International companies pay only 50%.

If ENI went into partnership with ESSO…

…what would happen?

We'd pay 50% in taxes to the Arabs…

…and we'd split the balance.

ENI would get half of that 50%…that is, 25%.

It's the same thing!

It's like giving guns to the Arabs.

You're upsetting the entire structure of the oil industry.

Western interests are compromised.

Oil companies are not the West!

They are stock partnerships. That's all!

If big companies represent Western interests, what then?

Does the West want to keep Italy second rate?

To keep all oil producing countries backwards?

I don't care about the West…

…which rejects these countries as part of a Third World in revolt!

The oil companies won't be able to stop it.

Will you be able to stop it?

No…the idea is not to stop it…

…but to avoid domination.

To consider the Third World as a world of men…

…and not one of inferiors.

That's the key!

I'm asking these nations to work with me…

…in checking how much oil is in the pumps…

…to talk things over…

…and to share the same hopes and responsibilities.

Who is more Western?

It is not just a matter of geography.

Who is more Western? The big companies or me?

Let's listen to it.

Mr. Mattei, TIME magazine has decided to do a cover story on you…

…your life, activities.

Tell us about yourself.

Well, I was born poor…

…in a village in the center of Italy.

My father was a police officer.

He captured the famous bandit Musolino.

My childhood was spent among the poor.

At 14 I became an apprentice in a bed factory.

Then I went to a leather tannery.

In my 20s, I moved to Milan and worked other jobs.

It was hard.

I don't know English, but I think you'd call me a "self-made man."

Don't forget to tell them that for Enrico Mattei, oil is just a hobby.

My real job is fishing!

Until now…

…oil companies have assumed tasks and responsibilities…

…which were the proper function of sovereign national states.

These are now less representative of oligarchies…

…and more an expression of the growth…

…and well-being of the community.

The modern state assumes responsibility in…

…the economic field…

…with objectives coordinated…

…within a general policy of development.

The operation of the Seven Sisters…

..is threatened by an incurable disease.

A situation has been created…

…in which the old colonial system…

…can be replaced with a rapport…

…based on direct collaboration…

…between producing and consuming nations.

In spite of the cautious tone of the official report…

…I can't see any reason to believe that the crash was an accident.

Yet I can't forget that an American from a major oil company…

…told me, a few years before Mattei's death…

…very frankly, that he couldn't understand why…

…nobody had managed to kill Mattei yet.

FROM THE BOOK 'OIL AND POWER' BY PAUL FRANKER.

Excellency, you control the activities in which the government participates…

You are the man who, by law, controls this unusual phenomenon.

A State within a State…

…the phenomenon called Enrico Mattei.

I must remind my fellow journalists…

…they're here to ask questions, not judge.

Fine, here's the question.

Will you reveal the secret activities of a man who, in a few short years...

...has taken over the country?

He controls information, bureaucracy, finances parties…

..uses the Secret Service for his needs…

…has his own newspaper, paid for by the State.

He orders ambassadors, and ministers.

I should tell you a story about public intervention in state economy.

This isn't the place.

Today, the structure of large public corporations is like…

…that of the large private corporations…

…with which it is often in competition.

But don't worry. Don't scare your readers.

The Minister keeps an eye on these things.

Tell us this, at least.

Is it true that Mattei has a debt of $1.1.million…

…with the prospect of soon reaching almost $2 million?

Don't you think this economic empire might collapse...

...because of 'financial activities'?

The activities, which you describe so glamorously…

…are perfectly legal.

ENI follows guidelines established by the government…

…controlled by Congress.

Your Excellency, a few weeks ago…

…I wrote something very serious. And precise!

I said, "ENI's accounts…

…should be legally investigated."

A minister close to you in government confessed…

"I don't want to go to jail because of Mattei."

I quoted him and he didn't deny it.

The question, please.

You control these accounts. Why haven't you reacted to this?

I never saw it.

If I had, I would have answered as I do now.

Those accounts are shown to Congress…

…they're carefully examined and studied.

Representatives of all parties, even yours…

…are free to criticize and object.

Which accounts? Real or fake?

Call the minister for me.

What you are insinuating is not new.

Such insinuations were included in 500 government investigations.

And many were never answered!

I'm watching. It's ridiculous.

Why? What's the matter?

Do I have to teach you what to say to these people?

You can't remember the only political answer to that.

I gave it!

You didn't say that the duty of a public corporation...

…is to substitute for lax private ones.

- I said it! - When? When?! Nobody heard it!

For years we've been saying things nobody wanted to hear.

Now, you forget them!

You know what a TV debate is like. Time is…

You could at least throw figures at them!

Make their eyes pop, my dear, and shut them up!

That's your job.

No, my friend…that's your job!

Otherwise, why are you there? You're a politician. Well, this is politics!

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, sir.

Did you think I wouldn't sleep?

That's what I expected.

You thought you had me?

I never had that illusion but…

…I never underestimated you.

Why don't you drop by my office tomorrow?

Tomorrow? Do you want to talk about inevitable reprisals?

Or is it an invitation to go fishing?

Tell me, how many cars drive our executives to work?

About twenty.

I want to know exactly.

About twenty in Rome or in all ENI offices?

In Rome. In Italy, I'd have to check…

There must be about a hundred.

No more, starting tomorrow.

Beginning tomorrow, all managers will drive themselves.

- Are there abuses? - No abuses, but…

…I've just seen how the Americans do it.

When I told them our managers are driven in company cars...

...they laughed. They're right.

Company cars reek of bureaucracy.

You have an appointment, sir.

ENI is no bureaucracy.

- Many managers don't drive. - They'll learn.

Some are over 50. The President of AGIP is 70.

I'm not a kid, and I'll drive myself.

- Give them time to get licenses. - I said tomorrow!

- Even the President of AGIP? - Even the President of AGIP.

Evidently you were early.

I'm very punctual. It's a necessity, not a vice.

Were you looking at my personal library?

Here are all the attacks against me by the press in the last 12 years.

Everything about me and my work.

Only praise is missing.

You could fill two bookshelves with those.

You decided to shoot against me last night.

That TIME article was pretty silly.

I'm surprised at you. You're no Fascist.

What did you think? That you were shooting cannon balls?

I just wanted to point out to a few million Italians…

…one or two questions about you that I considered important.

I have many ways of answering your accusations…

…which are the usual ones of private industry.

You think you have unique personal opinions, but you're influenced.

How can I put it?

Teleguided!

Mr. Mattei, last night I wanted to accuse you of spending, very poorly…

…an unspecified amount of state money.

Italy's money.

It would be easy to answer with facts.

Can I have a minute?

No. Read this. It's the Minister's mandate.

A liberal, too. He wanted to liquidate AGIP.

- How are you, La Pira? - I'm well, thank God. And you?

I hope I'm not bothering you. It's urgent.

It's about the Pignone Corporation.

I read about the trouble. What's wrong?

It's going bankrupt. If it does, there'll be nothing left but souvenir shops.

2,000 people out of work.

Mattei, you must help me.

ENI's business is oil. What can I do…

…with a textile machinery plant?

In Italy, only you can solve problems.

You've made ENI a full-cycle enterprise.

Pignone would fit well into such a structure.

It wouldn't fit at all.

ENI's 50 corporations are all economically competitive.

This isn't a hospital for sick companies. It never will be.

I like you, La Pira, but…

…I can't afford jeopardizing good, strong businesses.

Consider my personal situation.

As mayor, I not only have an administrative obligation…

…but a Christian and human one. I may sound crazy, but…

…how can I let it close?

And I mustn't put a bad apple in a bushel of good ones.

Politicians are waiting for ENI to become a pork barrel!

But...I am sure you'll take Pignone.

I think I won't.

The Holy Ghost told me you would.

What?

The Holy Ghost told me in a dream…

…you would take Pignone.

You know how much respect I have for the Holy Ghost…

…but I'm not going to do it.

Would you like a drink, sir?

Will you check the schedule with Bertuzzi?

You understand why it's easy to answer you?

Yes, I ask for state money. To be precise…

…I risk my stockholders' money…

…50 million Italians!

What do they do at Fiat and Montecatini?

Managers like me manage large amounts of money for private interests.

They don't risk their own money either.

But we all risk our reputations and our jobs.

In reality, there's another difference.

I work…build…

…gamble…always with one goal…

…to develop the country.

Gas costs less now…fertilizers cost 20% less.

I got rid of deposits on gas cylinders. Industries…people working…

Everything started with this!

Today, this is a powerful business, which last night you said was mysterious.

In truth, here are deeds, concrete facts…

…a steady job for 50,000 highly qualified people.

I believe in the future of this country...

and others like it forced to slow down for too long…

…considering their true potential.

Many barriers have to be knocked down to do this.

I'll give you something on Mattei! I authorize you…

…to exploit it, maliciously.

Mattei, the megalomaniac. How he spends Italy's money!

A plane with 4 jets. 550 mph. My next private plane.

How much will your toy cost?

A million and a half dollars. Scandalous!

A luxurious plaything. But for me, it's not a toy.

It's for my work.

Here's my schedule.

Tonight I'll be in Tunisia.

Tomorrow afternoon, in Iran. The next day, Warsaw.

Thursday night, I must be in Dusseldorf.

This doesn't mean that Mattei is powerful.

It means ENI is an international corporation with real power.

It also has political power.

It buys parties. You even give money to Fascists!

And you were a partisan?

That's true.

But I use them like I do a taxi.

I get in, I ride. I look at the meter…

I get out…

...And I pay.

Come on, have a drink with me.

We need to talk. I'd tell you a lot if you'd be fair.

Mattei is not secretive. You'll see.

I want Mr. Morigi's papers this afternoon.

Contact the San Donato technicians.

Have you checked the schedule?

Mr. Collodi should be at the airport…

…so we can talk a few minutes.

The Minister called again.

I'll call him back.

What about Dusseldorf?

Tell "Mannerhein" I'm going.

Know who's behind "Mannerhein"?

Yes, the Nazi war criminal. Hard to take, eh?

Hurry!

I refuse to resign myself to inaction, like most Italians!

They say my weakness is creating work.

ENI employs 24,000 people directly. Indirectly, 65,000.

Thanks. I'll drive!

The usual route.

I don't say this deployment of forces isn't justified…

…but how is this security paid? With your secret funds?

These decisions aren't mine.

They were assigned to me after the screwdriver attempt.

Attempt, or propaganda for Mattei?

The screwdriver was in the engine of the plane.

You're so democratic you buy your own gas!

I was just checking to see if this boy is smiling.

In our courses we teach them to smile, but poverty always frowns.

Demagoguery!

I know what you want to say. Spare me!

I have a luxurious house. Hotels are more practical.

I share this with ENI's vice president.

But he uses it more.

And this is where ENI's president, Italy's most important man, lives and sleeps.

Tell me. Did you talk to London?

Tell Mr. Morigi I took the papers.

Please get me that London number.

It'll be half an hour.

Businessmen must often find private ways to communicate.

Insist they give you a line.

My friend, Vanoni.

Can I make a call?

Go on, insist!

Then call Mayor La Pira, in Florence.

Say "All right." He'll understand.

- Don't expect me before 8:30. - No, we might not come back tonight.

I'm leaving on a French made jet.

Even the French can make good things.

You're coming with me!

I don't want to sleep in Africa tonight.

My suitcase, passport!

Someone will get your things. You might not need the passport.

Remember, I'm the most important Italian since Julius Caesar!

That's how an American journalist described me.

This methane flame produces enough energy...

...for the daily needs of a city like Turin.

They brought it down to 176 degrees Fahrenheit.

But why all this money going up in flames?

That's why we're here…

…to help the Arabs change this situation.

We got here late. We must act fast.

Let's not fool ourselves…we're poor. We need them, too.

So you tap American fields in Algeria!

There it is!

They say you pump up from their wells.

I don't know that. There's the border.

The Americans work over there. We work here.

I bet the Americans put that in your head.

They invented the oblique drill.

It drills underground sideways.

Why would they do that?

To steal oil from others, across the border.

Why are you so mad at the Americans?

Because they're bullies!

They made you fabulous offers…

…to head one of the largest firms in their empire!

They wanted me out of the way. I refused for 2 reasons.

I want to work for my country and…

…I don't need the money. My salary at ENI is sufficient.

Agnelli eats twice a day, like you and me.

Beneath this desert, there's a sea of oil.

The Middle East has 80% of the world's reserves.

You and I and millions of others in the world…

…work, eat, dress, ride cars, are warm, have fun…

…thanks to the riches here.

Yet Arabs are starving.

The oil is taken from under their noses.

They keep their poverty, illiteracy… infant mortality…

…a thousand other problems.

This is the largest refinery in the world, Abadan.

The oil pumped by foreign companies…

…is moved by pipelines to the ports of embarcation…

…and shipped by tankers…

…to make the West prosperous.

Your plan to unhitch Europe from America looks perfect.

Can you? You don't have the economic strength.

You created a giant, but there's not much oil here.

There's Russian oil.

Italy has specific political alliances.

It was rumored Fiat sold the Chinese ball bearings…

…for their tanks in Korea. Against America!

I bought Russian oil on much better conditions.

Economic laws are the same for everybody.

The profits of your policies go mainly to your party…

…and some to the Communist party.

They get 2.5% of all business with Russia.

And the taxpayers…

Aren't members of the Christian Democrat or Communist Party also Italian taxpayers?

This floating island in the Indian Ocean looks for oil…

…at a depth of 12,000 feet.

We build and sell them to everybody.

American, Dutch, French…everybody

We're the best.

We're ahead technically.

Nobody's done it before.

It's like a hotel inside. You'll see.

It's no joke to live here.

We've had cases of madness…

…and homosexuality.

The shifts are too long. Two months on… 15 days off.

The Americans do better.

But they're rich and we're poor.

Here's the mess hall.

See you later. We'll grab a bite too.

This is a 4 man dormitory.

Well, yes. There are problems.

This is a single.

You can tell me now, sir.

That scandal. The $10,000 for call girls.

What did you do?

There are two things no one can criticize me about.

Money, because I don't steal…

…and women, because I like them.

Your friends in the Party played a dirty trick.

I picked up the phone and said…

…do you really want to start on secret dossiers?

I'm ready anytime.

Very edifying.

That's politics.

Why haven't you explained in your newspapers what oil really means?

We have often.

Between the lines. In a romantic version.

You never explained that oil…

…makes governments fall. Creates revolutions.

Coups d'etat.

It determines world balance. You don't say that.

You know why?

You would have to say, if Italy missed the oil bus…

…it's because those great industrialists never bothered with it.

Why? They would have to touch interests they didn't want touched.

They didn't want to upset the powerful.

Industrialists pay for your papers.

So you talk between the lines.

And that's why I started my own newspaper!

Does it seem possible that the fate of millions of men…

…could depend on 4 or 5 billion dollars?

Do you think Italy must submit to your decisions?

Are you a new Joan of Arc?

Italy's fickle. She's ready to accept heroes…

…but she drops them with equal ease.

My ambition is different.

I'd rather be a troublesome but productive servant of the state…

…than a docile vassal of a party.

I'm strong because…

…nobody has the competence and courage to stop me.

Aren't you ever afraid to make mistakes?

I push ahead. I must.

I belong to the same category of men as…

…the French minister Maginot, who founded a sort of ENI.

He was poisoned.

Mossadegh nationalized Iranian oil…

He was purged from political life.

I haven't made mistakes.

I tried in Libya. I found the way so Kennedy threw me out.

Now I'm in Iran, Egypt, and Tunisia.

If they chase me out, I'll go to Australia…

…and from there to India!

I'll keep fighting this absurd monopoly.

If I don't make it…

…the people who have oil under their feet will!

Here it is!

Mauro de Mauro, a reporter for the Palermo daily L'ORA…

…disappeared yesterday on his way home from the office.

The police investigating his disappearance…

...say he may have been kidnapped by the Mafia.

There are many theories, colon.

…the Mattei affair, comma…

...drugs, comma...

…corruption in the building trades, comma…

…all under the cover of the Mafia.

Many people in Palermo…

…feel as the police do, period.

De Mauro's disappearance seems to have…

…no connection…with the Mattei affair.

The kidnapping appears to be in the style…

…characteristic of the Corleone mafia, period.

De Mauro knew his kidnappers.

The police think De Mauro's investigation of Mattei's death…

…might have uncovered something very important…

And told his secret to someone he knew.

In this way his fate was sealed.

There is talk about a pipeline…

…which would have connected Algeria to Sicily.

This would have changed…

…the productive relationship with the conglomerates.

This would have drastically modified…

…the whole economic and social situation in Sicily.

De Mauro seems to have found things to make Italy tremble.

He had been asked to reconstruct…

…Enrico Mattei's last two days in Sicily.

Give me the editor.

I've written the article, but…

…we've fallen into the usual maze of speculation.

One theory is as good as the next.

One thing is certain: 8 years after Mattei's death…

…people are sure he was murdered.

At the time you are interested in, October 1962…

…I was a police office in Gela.

Mattei was coming to Sicily.

Movements of various political personalities forced us…

…to be careful because of the way the wind was blowing.

"The way the wind was blowing." What do you mean?

It means, for instance…

…things like this…

The runway of the Gela airport was private.

ENI tried to buy it, but the owners raised their price.

Negotiations were dragging… landowners…

…or their agents…would shoot!

There was a fire at the power plant.

That's why, the morning Mattei arrived, police were everywhere.

Fly to Catania. I don't trust them.

I stayed with Mattei.

I never left his side while he was in Gela.

It wasn't easy for Mattei to get into Sicily.

This was to be another Po Valley.

He wanted to give Sicily to the state.

But Don Sturzo was the boss, and years in the US…

…made him a champion of liberalism.

He planted himself on the Strait of Messina like the Statue of Liberty.

The evening of October 26, at dinner in the AGIP Motel…

…what I noticed most was Mattei's bragging.

What do you mean "bragging"?

He said things that were politically delicate…

…in front of everybody, including American reporters…

…who would quote him later.

The Italian government isn't making any foreign policy.

In Moscow, I spent ten days stuck in a hotel room...

…waiting for a minister in Rome to give me a green light to sign a contract.

The US was annoyed. Russia would sell us cheaper oil.

Our politicians were afraid. I'm not!

They say I make foreign policy.

I have my men in Iran, Algeria, and Egypt.

During the war in Sinai, in 1956, my men were defending the oil wells.

And ENI was written on their arms, not UN.

Last year, in Siberia…

…I said to a technician, who commented on our Italian miracle…

- perhaps I was a bit abrupt –

…"the Italy of song and dance belongs to the museum of the past."

I said to him, "They're sinking. Better watch out."

"Mao is right."

Senator, you spoke of a happy Mattei in Sicily. But was he really?

No, it was an official happiness.

Mattei was afraid.

Of what?

Threats. He was getting them more and more often.

Good morning, sir. It's 6:30.

Come on! Look at this!

Just look at this!

ENI's motels.

To the world they're models of modernity, functionality, cleanliness!

They envy us! It must be true even in Sicily!

Or I'll take back all I said last night.

As a kid, I worked in a place where…

…I couldn't go to the bathroom. It stank!

I don't ever want to see that again!

I don't care if your Don Sturzo says I build cathedrals…

…to gasoline pumps.

We've found Methane here, too.

Methane isn't enough, Governor!

I was first to shake my friend Mattei's hand…

…the morning of the 27th…

…when his helicopter landed.

Mattei had come to Gagliano to reassure everyone.

The locals were afraid...

…they feared their newfound wealth would be taken away.

They would be left with crumbs.

Can my son come home, Sir?

- Where is he? - He's in Germany.

There's going to be work for him here.

For everyone in Gagliano!

Tell them all to come home. There'll be jobs for everybody.

First, I want to thank you…

…for the warm welcome…

…you have given me… in your village.

Today…

…I'm reminded of those years…

…right after the war.

No one believed…

…in the true potential of our subsoil.

We asked to come to Sicily…

…we were outmoded.

The moment was more favorable to…

…all the big foreign oil companies.

We wanted to show in Sicily, too…

…what Italians could do.

Italians realized what…

…this kind of progress in Sicily would mean.

I would like to thank…

…the region of Sicily…

…for having given us…

…practially all that was left that hadn't been taken.

Now…

…we have found methane here.

My friends…

…we will not take anything away.

Everything found here belongs to Sicily!

We are not taking the methane away.

It will stay in Sicily…for industry, for your needs.

For everything Sicily will accomplish.

No more poverty in Gagliano!

- What? - No more poverty in Gagliano!

My friend, I don't know your name, but…

I was once as poor as you, and I too had to leave home for lack of work.

We promise…

…to use all the manpower you have.

Listen well!

It will be necessary…

…for many who are abroad to return.

Because there will be room for them, too, in Gagliano.

Stay with us, Mr. Mattei!

Who said that?

I'd like to, my friend Scardavili…

However, I must be in Milan tonight.

But I will come back.

Time is short.

Our friend Mattei really must go.

Make him stay!

He can't!

He carries, on his shoulders…

…great responsibility…

…such an important and dangerous one…

…that he never sleeps easily!

This is a man…

…with half the world against him!

He must be very careful!

We politicians can make mistakes.

We have time to mend them.

But if he makes one, he's finished!

So, if he says he can't stay, we can't keep him.

Don't forget Troina.

Gagliano isn't all Sicily.

Why don't you come to Milan with me?

I can't. I have a meeting in Messina tomorrow.

You come to Milan…

I wish I could. I have a wedding tomorrow.

Then how about you, sir?

Mr. Mattei, I don't trust those flying toys.

What a welcome. Better than the Liberation!

The people like you very much.

The poor do, yes.

In my position as assistant prosecutor, I can't speak just now.

However, if anyone is arrested for the kidnapping…

…it means we have enough proof to say…

…that he's in it up to his neck.

Please be more specific.

I can't. Give me a few days.

When? The public must know!

You'd better tell them now!

They'll go off like a firecracker!

Who's that?

A pro from Palermo.

He says there's a 98% chance De Mauro's alive.

What does 98% mean?

That's Sicily.

They let us write anything we wanted to…

…and we played up to them.

Government leaders, senators…

…high government officials all theorized. We didn't dare!

At one point we thought…

…that we were being useful for something.

But…

…mark my words, in a few days…

…the Mattei case, the kidnapping, De Mauro…

…the link between politics and crime. It will all disappear from the papers.

Want proof? Just this evening…

…we were told: This investigation will take awhile…

…meaning, "Goodbye!"

So the bomb about the Mafia should've gone off, but won't.

For the time being…

…it's been postponed 'til spring.

As usual, we've turned up something concrete…

…only to have it crumble before our eyes.

We newsmen, when here in Sicily discussing the Mafia...

…they look at us, as if to say we could never understand.

It's like an isolated public morality…

…only understandable to them.

A kind of cynicism.

If it is cynicism, then it has…

…crossed the Strait, reached Rome, and is heading North!

Let's go back to what you were saying….

…turning up something concrete which crumbles.

I'm preparing this film now.

Maybe because Mattei created a bond of complicity with everyone…

…there are closed doors, everywhere I turn.

Each one has an official sign: State Secret.

That's how it is.

People want things to stay as they are.

You have studied Sicilian custom in depth…

…with special reference to the Mafia.

Now the Mafia is being linked with Mattei's death. What do you think?

The Mafia is a phenomenon based on…

…circumstantial evidence. Examine the facts.

For instance, the day Mattei left Catania…

…there was no airport security!

What? There must have been police, like all airports.

Not in the parking area or on the runway.

And some maintenance men had been replaced…

…by others who had nothing to do with maintenance.

Where are those people now?

Where do they live? What is their social and economic status?

What are they doing? What Supermafia protects them?

I'd like to investigate to find out…

…if anyone working in the Catania airport…

…employee or mechanic…

…left his job the day after or even the same day the plane crashed.

I'm sure he sabotaged the plane…

…and left his job that day or later.

You devoted a chapter in your book to Mattei's death.

Would you repeat, briefly, what you wrote?

The French Secret Service…

…used one of their agents, I don't know his real name…

…he was known as Laurent.

He was of Corsican origin…

…spoke Italian well.

He had experience with plane controls…

…especially with altimeters made by Moran Saulnier…

…the factory that built Mattei's plane.

He was planted in the airport at Catania to wait for orders.

The plan was to be implemented…

…when atmospheric conditions were ideal for the attempt.

Mattei's movements were communicated ahead of time…

…by someone close to him, invited by him…

…who worked for the French Secret Service.

Do you know his name?

No, I don't.

WAS MATTEI MURDERED?

Did you ever see Bertuzzi, the pilot? He must have come in for coffee.

What pilot? I don't know anything.

Enrico Mattei's pilot. It's been in all the papers.

Never saw him.

They left from this airport.

Who remembers 8 years ago?

Bertuzzi used that phone.

When?

He was called twice.

- Who says so? - It's in a book.

It also says two mechanics and a man posing as a cop, did it.

What a gas!

I'm the only officer by that name in the whole force.

How do you explain this mystery? This was sabotage.

Could someone have stolen your identity?

I ask myself that. Look…

In 1962, my name was printed in all the papers...

...regarding the notorious Montalbano murder case.

Whoever wanted to get the name of a cop…

...working in Sicily at the time just had to look in the papers!

That's the only possibility that makes sense.

In Panorama it says…

…regarding an investigation at Catania airport…

To those who tried to stop him, the uniformed officer said:

"I am Capt. Grillo. We must make an inspection!"

This detail, which the police know, isn't mentioned in the report!

Tell me, are you coming to Milan?

If you like!

Get the Governor's luggage. He's coming!

I must be back by 10:00 am tomorrow.

You'll be here by 8.

Bertuzzi, you'll bring him!

I can't promise. There's fog over Milan.

I'm sorry. I can't guarantee anything.

Are you coming, McHale?

My wife is waiting in Rome, at the airport.

Perhaps I'll go to Rome. You'll get there.

Have a good trip!

Few private industrialists can afford this plane.

I'll soon be trading it in for a faster one, a Caravelle.

Like the Krupps and the Rockefellers.

No, much better.

Mine will be connected to all my offices by radio.

Sir, did you see the moon?

I wonder if there's oil up there.

India Alfa Papa Linate…taxi in…

…runway visibility…

…OK for landing…

Eventually…

I'm circling…2000 feet over the beacon.

I read you, India Alfa Papa. When will you land?

In a minute, or minute and a half.

India Alfa Papa Linate…do you read me?

They don't read me.

Emergency on the field! Immediately!