Recently on HBO, they aired Godfather 3. There was a scene where Vincenzo told Michael who Don Altobello controlled. Vincenzo mentioned some guys that were butchers and someone "P-2 unclassified."

Would someone know what a P-2 is? It must represent something very high in the Italian government. For the government here, we are classified as GS-2 or GS-7 or higher.

P2 (acronym for Propaganda 2) was a secret association (called "Loggia", i. e. "lodge") inside the Masonery. Many men of power (politicians, businessmen etc) were found to be P2 members, their activities being presumably illegal and possibly involved in murders and "dirty" business. The P2 Loggia and all secret societies were banished by Italian government in early 80's.

For more details, click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due

Lavinia, you are the new Turnbull.

Grazie... Now I really understand what the conversation was about.

Quite interesting to see Don Altobello be connected to people who are high as P-2 and Don Lucchesi.

Gee....I'm only Italian and old enough to remember those unpleasant events in our recent history....

Tree very known members were the bankers Sindona and Calvi , and Berlusconi

And for long time the big man of the P2-lodge was Licio Gelli. He had in that time very big powers because of the diversity of members in the P2-loge: high officers off Carabinieri, army officers, ministers, members of the Secret Service and bankers.

Gelli helped Socialist Craxi with money of the banker Roberto Calvi, and trough Craxi he helped Andreotti.