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     Victor Losa: Oral History Transcript 

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Louis (Luigi)
Biamonte

Mike Biollo

Father Giovanni
Bonelli

Camillo Bridarolli

Mr. & Mrs. Henry
Butti

John Camarta

Domenico Chiarello

Joe Fabbri

Mario Grassi

Victor Losa

Filomena Michetti

Mrs. Mamie Meardi

Tony Nimis

Giorgio W. &
Norma Pocaterra

Mr. & Mrs. John
Segatti

Romano Tedesco &
Mrs. Irma Giacobbo

Angelo Toppano

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Mr. L:  Mr. Victor Losa
Mr. R:  Mr. Sabatino Roncucci

Mr. R:

Oh, you didn't receive any remuneration at all?

Mr. L:

Only a percentage on the stamps that we applied on the documents. 'Pocura generale.' Power of attorney, then you apply the stamps. Consular mark, 'marchete'. Then we had 70 percent of that. But that was hardly enough to pay the time, let alone the rent...

Mr. R:

Do you remember, Mr. Losa, any, say, particular incident of some Italian being in deep trouble, for instance, that you were involved when helping, some complication that you part of disentangling in the whole case?

Mr. L:

No, not in criminal cases.

Mr. R:

No, no, no, I don't mean that, but sometimes people having to go to Italy with no passports, for instance, some mistake...

Mr. L:

Yes, oh yes, that was a normal case, that you had to...hurry, hurry, procure a passport for somebody that forgot at the last moment, and this and that, or they lost their documents, or... There was many, many times that we were also ... treated well by the local authorities as such as an Italian representative, and we were invited to their affairs, functions, banquets. 

Mr. R:

So then, your relations with the local authorities were excellent.

Mr. L:

Excellent!

Mr. R:

How about, say, the Italians in relation to the local authorities. I mean, how were the Italians treated?

Mr. L:

Very good, too. Very good, yes. No trouble. There was no recrimination.

Mr. R:

I see, and what was the relationship between Italians and other ethnic groups?

Mr. L:

Also very good, too. There was no trouble in that line. None. None, whatsoever.

Mr. R:

That's very good.

Mr. L:

Then came the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.

Mr. R:

Oh, I see, in '36, eh?

Mr. L:

Yes, '35

Mr. R:

'35, that's right.

Mr. L:

1935. A very prophetic year. And that was really quite a thing to handle.

Mr. R:

I see, because of your position, eh?

Mr. L:

Yes. The population was quite against such an invasion and I had to display quite a bit of...

Mr. R:

courage to..

Mr. L:

Well yes, I had to explain as much as I could with what I had on hand. Yes, with pamphlets and books, and I went and gave lectures in church halls and in clubs. And I was accepted, and they didn't throw me out and they didn't insult me at all.

Mr. R:

You know, the nature of your lectures, so to speak, was such as to explain the Italian position in that war.

Mr. L:

The Italian position in accordance to this invasion.


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