Casellario Politico Centrale
Political Central File
The Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali have put online a list of people included in the Casellario Politico Centrale (Political Central File).
This file was created at the end of the 19th century. Since that time, and especially during the Fascist Era, the police practiced a close watch over people considered suspicious or dangerous for the public order: political opponents such as anarchists, socialists, republicans; and, since 1921, also over communists. The surveillance included an indeterminate category of people: bums, vagabonds, foreigners and other ethnic minorities, especially in Venezia-Giulia.
Police departments were constantly monitoring people with records, recording their travels, movings, any encounters with other subversive people, and everything new on their activity. But not always they had the logistic aptitude to do it; thus, the documentation gathered in each personnel file collection, does not always reflect all the activity of the alleged “subversives.”
What information does the Cassellario contain?
The CPC files keep several documents (statements of activities, informative and confidential notes, transcriptions of interrogations, letters and all kind of kidnapped material) about the activity of the subversives in Italy or abroad. It also contains information on the tasks assigned to them by their political party, missions, conferences, meetings, news about events, information about arrests and convictions. Often there are biographical cards, brief news about updates, and biographical folders filled by the Police of the State civil officers.
The photographic collection is also very abundant, and there are conserved 120.000 pictures, taken in most of the cases, by the police itself. To the pictures of filiations, taken during the surveillance activity, were added personal pictures, which could well be defined as a ‘family album’ with scenes of lunches, parties, ceremonies, holidays, portraits of friends and relatives.
The Border’s Book (Agenda di Frontiera) contained the list of filed persons who were residing abroad. The Police of the State received frequent reports from police and consulates from the countries of emigration, on the activities that these “persecuted” performed in those countries.
All this content makes this information a very valuable genealogical record.
How to search?
To browse the list of people is necessary:
1. To address to the website http://nostos.maas.ccr.it/cpc
2. To write the last name in the box titled “Ricerca Libera”
3. To Click on “Avvia Ricerca”
4. When a last name is found , click on the name and a window with the information will open.
In this file we found 6965 Italians considered subversives by the authorities living in United States,
152 Italians living in London and 220 Italians living in Australia.
The natural reactions against the repression of the Fascist Period from those who suffered persecutions along many years (political parties and individuals), finally paralyzed the activity of that area. Since 1946 the Casellario was less in use until its complete disappearance.
If you find information of a person who might be of your family you can request photocopies of that file. The cost is variable according to the quantity of sheets it contains, but the average is approximately 7 euros for a 35 pages file.
Write to:
Archivio Centrale dello Stato – Casselario Politico
Piazzale degli Archivi 27
00144 Roma
E-Mail: acs.salastudio@archivi.beniculturali.it
Model of letter
Archivio Centrale dello Stato
Egregio Sig. Direttore,
Mi chiamo…..(Name and Last Name).…. e vivo in … (Place of residence)… e sto facendo un studio sulla storia della mia famiglia.
Ho saputo che presso gli Archivi Centrali vengono conservati i registri del casellario politico e, di conseguenza, quello di ….. ……..(ancestor’s name)………….. Questa informazione potrebbe avere un importantissimo valore storico per la ricostruziones della storia della mia famiglia.Con la presente Le chiedo gentilmente di inviarmi una copia dei registri delle seguenti persone:
Nome e cognome: ……..(ancestor’s name)…………..
Busta …………
Codice ….(code)……..
Ringraziando in anticipo la Sua cortese attenzione, colgo l’occasione per porgere i miei cordiali saluti.
Dati personali:
Nome e cognome:
Recapito postale:
E-mail:
