governments to control and censor, if necessary, the news from, and for, abroad. Throughout the First World War, Agenzia Stefani received exclusive access to the diffusion of the dispatches of army staff, and 1920, an agreement was reached with the Giolitti government, which assigned the task of disseminating government information to the press prefects and government offices. Pursuant to the agreement, the appointment of the director and the major foreign correspondents were subject to government approval. The following year a new agreement with Havas granted it access to information from the United States and Latin America, thanks to cable connections created between New York City and Paris. Management under Morgagni After the rise of fascism, Benito Mussolini grasped the potential usefulness of such a tool and on April 8, 1924, he placed Agenzia Stefani under the control of the sansepolcriste, Manlio Morgagni who, in a short time, transformed the voice of the government within Italy as well as abroad. In 1924, it had 14 bureaus in Italy, with 160 correspondents in Italy and 12 abroad, who succeeded daily at "working" an average of 165 incoming dispatches and 175 outgoing. Under Morgagni's direction, the agency underwent important development, to the extent that in 1939 there were 32 Italian bureaus and 16 others abroad, with 261 correspondents in Italy and 65 abroad, who every day processed an average of 1270 incoming dispatches and 1215 outgoing. Following the arrest of Mussolini on July 26, 1943, Manlio Morgagni committed suicide. The RSI and ANSA With the creation of the Italian Social Republic, the State took ownership of Agenzia Stefani and its headquarters was moved to Milan, and placed under the direction of Luigi Barzini senior. Its last director, Ernesto Daquanno, was shot at Dongo with the dignitaries accompanying Mussolini. Dissolved on April 29, 1945, the technical structure and its organization were transferred to the new ANSA. See also History of newspapers and magazines#Italy History of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) News agency Bibliography Smith, Denis Mack. Mazzini (Yale U. Press, 1996) excerpt Manlio Morgagni "L'agenzia Stefani nella vita nazionale" (1931) éd. Alfieri e Lacroix, Milan Sergio Lepri "Informazione e potere in un secolo di storia italiana. L'Agenzia Stefani da Cavour a Mussolini" (2001) éd. Le Monnier, Florence, Romano Canosa "La voce del Duce. L'agenzia Stefani: l'arma segerta di Mussolini" (2002) éd. Mondadori, Milan Gigi Di Fiore "Controstoria dell'unità d'Italia: fatti e misfatti del Risorgimento"