Totalitarian Refugee or Fascist Mistress?

Abstract

Did Italian propaganda broadcaster Lisa Sergio, who claimed to have been Europe's first female radio announcer, flee Italy in 1937 because she became an anti-fascist (as she claimed) or because she boasted too much about affairs with high fascist officials (as her FBI file asserted)? This article examines Sergio's writings and her 300-page FBI file to attempt to determine which story was true. But troubling aspects of her autobiography surfaced (such as dramatic narrative arcs and factual inconsistencies), suggesting that factual analysis alone cannot fully explain the discrepancies. This study borrowed a framework from autobiographical theorists and scholars to show that these writings were a performance for the U.S. audience: an act of identity, gender, and culture, concealing a hidden subtext of historical agency.

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Notes on contributors

Stacy Spaulding

STACY SPAULDING is an assistant professor in the Mass Communication and Communication Studies Department at Towson University. She wishes to thank Maurine Beasley, her dissertation advisor, for their conversations debating the accuracy and intent of Lisa Sergio's manuscripts.