After WW2, there was a period of time when it was seriously considered that Italy might come under communist control. Most famously, you have Operation Gladio[

After WW2, there was a period of time when it was seriously considered that Italy might come under communist control. Most famously, you have Operation Gladio[1]. If I recall correctly (and I may not, because this is probably colored by some History Channel conspiracy documentaries), there were contingency plans where Sicily would secede to allow NATO to retain a foothold in the Mediterranean, with the CIA relying on Cosa Nostra connections with the Sicillian mafia in order to effect this... Yep, I must have been watching that in between a special on the Mayan calendar, and one on how Stonehenge is a pre-historic alien spaceport... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio