ABSTRACT
Verona, a historic town in north-eastern Italy, was marked by the presence of the Allied Forces from the World War II. In the mid-fifties, this ancient Roman city, renowned among tourists for its architectural landmarks, became home to the NATO Strategic Command which was operating the sole nuclear missile unit in Europe. This combination of shockingly modern weapons with the city’s outstanding artistic heritage was an effective tool in terms of propaganda.
So to speak, the sight-seeing tours were part of the training programme along with the briefings on military procedures in case of an invasion by the Warsaw Pact forces. "It seems we’re always on vacation", is reported at a later time by the NATO officers once stationed in Verona, who during their stay used to enjoy the Arena opera season or a concert of the SETAF band.
The US military forces had their official headquarters in prestigious historical buildings downtown, while their activities were carried out in vast off-limits areas and secret underground facilities located nearby. They lived in residential districts next door to the Veronese middle-class, in order to achieve the integration expected with the local population. No new settlement was created for the American officers and their families, unlike nearby Vicenza which hosted the bulk of NATO troops. The only apparent change in urban structure was a vast compound in the north-west suburbs, a complex with a school for about 700 students and other community facilities, which became the only visible physical sign of the presence of the Americans in Verona.
The chapter revolves around the everyday life of the American officers in Verona with the aim of analysing the sites, both official and secret, held by the NATO command as part of the 1950s–60s era urban structure. It will be based on biographies and memoires, as well on the period’s local press and various propaganda organs, such as ‘SETAF Dispatch’, the US Armed Forces bulletin published in Verona from 1955 to 1965.
