Virginio Gayda

Gayda was born in Rome, studied economics at the University of Turin and began his career as a journalist when he was hired as a foreign correspondent by La Stampa in 1908.

Contemporary reports in the Allied press characterised him as a propagandist who was willing to write anything to support Benito Mussolini's regime.

Mussolini raised no public objection when Gayda warned against the likelihood of a swift victory one week after start in June 1941 of the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union.

[5] However, on 17 February 1943, Gayda provoked the second incident by stating in Il Giornale d'Italia that the Axis powers had difficulties in the war of attrition.

He was replaced as editor of Il Giornale d'Italia by A. Bergamini after the fall of the fascist regime on 25 July 1943.