Benito Mussolini Signature with Vittorio Emanuele III – Certified Autographs, 25 June 1937 (Morretta)

Description

The original signature of Benito Mussolini, signed in ink and certified as authentic, countersigned beneath that of King Vittorio Emanuele III on an Italian royal decree of 25 June 1937 concerning Lieutenant Colonel Rocco Morretta, reversing an earlier decree after a Council of State judgment.

An original Italian royal decree dated at San Rossore on 25 June 1937, signed in ink by King Vittorio Emanuele III and countersigned by Benito Mussolini as Head of Government and Minister for War. Unusually, it is not a routine appointment but the reversal of an earlier decree following a judgment of the Council of State, and it retains its Ministry of War and Corte dei Conti registrations. Both signatures are certified as authentic.

What does the decree say?

The printed heading gives the King’s style at the time: Vittorio Emanuele III, per Grazia di Dio e per Volontà della Nazione, Re d’Italia, Imperatore d’Etiopia. Among the acts it cites is the royal decree of 15 February 1934 placing Lieutenant Colonel Rocco Morretta, an infantry officer in permanent service, in the auxiliary category from April 1934 under article 39 of the law of 11 March 1926.

It then cites a decision of the Consiglio di Stato, sitting in its judicial capacity (Section IV), which upheld the officer’s appeal against his exclusion from promotion and his consequent removal from service. On the proposal of the Head of Government and Minister for War, the decree orders that the 1934 decree be “revocato e considerato come non avvenuto”: revoked and treated as though it had never been made. It closes Dato a San Rossore, addì 25 giugno 1937 – Anno XV.

This gives the document a legal dimension beyond a personnel decision: it records an officer successfully challenging the military administration before Italy’s highest administrative court, and the state formally undoing its own act.

Why are both signatures on one decree?

Royal decrees were issued in the King’s name and countersigned by the responsible minister. Here that minister was Mussolini, who held the War portfolio in addition to heading the government. The King’s title “Emperor of Ethiopia”, assumed after the conquest of 1936, dates the document firmly to the period of the Italian empire.

The signatures

The King signs “Vittorio Emanuele” in a very large, sweeping hand. Mussolini signs “Mussolini” below, large, dark and fully legible, with generous blank space around both signatures. The signed page also carries the red Ministero della Guerra – Ragioneria Centrale stamp, dated Rome, 20 July 1937, with accounting references, and the registration with the Corte dei Conti dated 6 August 1937, with register and folio references.

Authenticity

Both signatures have been examined and certified as authentic by Juan García Nicolás, qualified graphologist and handwriting examiner (perito calígrafo, trained at Ipsigrap) and editor of Autographs & Militaria. The certification rests on a consistent set of features rather than any single indicator: the handwriting characteristics of each signature compared with documented examples, the ink and writing pressure on the paper, and the coherence of the whole document, from its printed royal heading and manuscript text to the contemporary Ministry of War and Corte dei Conti registrations.

Why collect it?

Documents signed by both Vittorio Emanuele III and Mussolini are a recognised field in twentieth-century autograph collecting. This example adds an uncommon subject, a decree reversed after a Council of State judgment, and a complete administrative trail. For a comparable decree, see the Mussolini and Vittorio Emanuele III decree of 1 July 1937 (DOC186).

A third decree from the same summer, with exceptionally large signatures, is also available: 8 July 1937 (DOC188).

Also available: certified signatures on the decree of 25 June 1937 (DOC189).

See also the certified Mussolini signature on the decree concerning General Luca de Luca (DOC190).

Condition

Good condition for an official document of 1937:

• Age toning, minor scattered staining and light handling marks.
• Small archival binding holes along the margin and minor edge wear.
• Period filing annotations and government stamps.
• Complete; both signatures strong, large and clear.

All photographs show the actual document offered and form part of this condition description.

Frequently asked questions

Who signed the document?
King Vittorio Emanuele III and Benito Mussolini, both in ink.

Are the signatures certified?
Yes. Both have been examined and certified as authentic by Juan García Nicolás, qualified handwriting examiner.

What did the decree do?
It revoked the 1934 decree placing Lieutenant Colonel Rocco Morretta in the auxiliary category, after the Council of State upheld his appeal.

When and where was it issued?
At San Rossore, 25 June 1937 (Anno XV).

Was it registered?
Yes: Ministry of War accounts office (20 July 1937) and Corte dei Conti (6 August 1937).

Historical Responsibility Notice

This document is offered exclusively as a historical artefact for collecting, preservation, education and research. Its association with Fascist Italy forms part of its original historical context. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify fascism or the political system it represents.

References & Further Reading

• Normattiva, Legge 18 maggio 1936, n. 867 – conversion of R.D.-L. 9 maggio 1936, n. 754, on Italian sovereignty over Ethiopia and the King’s assumption of the title Imperatore d’Etiopia.