Testimony made by Paola DiMeglio, born in Naples, February 9th 1951, around the facts and the events related to Tassone Ivano Pahlavi Savoia Garro.
Note: the three*** are for concrete names.
Autumn 1978
I know Ivano at a course of English at the “British School”, in Galimberti plaza, in Cuneo (Northern Italy, to the south of Turin). The school doesn’t exist anymore, neither afterwards other courses had taken place. Ivano, twenty-one years old, is a very handsome boy, with a wonderful smile and a natural elegance. It strikes above all me for his great availability and goodness, and more for his deep intelligence and ability to immediately enter “in tuning”. He has very refined manners and talks of any matter with the security and depth of one who knows well the topic. At the course of English it seems to me he is out of place. A feeling immediately is created and soon we becomes friends.
After thirty years, I can declare with calm that it still represents the deepest and most beautiful friendship of my life, the only true friendship, that one I wish my children to meet.
Ivano is not always present at the lessons. He is missing toward the end of the year till beyond the Christmas holidays (between the end of 1978 and the beginning of 1979). Of that course I have no certificate, neither I hear it was given to any of the participants. After all I am enrolled for it on the insistence of one colleague of mine of Borgo S. Dalmazzo (CN) who didn’t want to frequent alone it; she said to need it to take an examination of English at the faculty of Psychology in Padova (she is still now enrolled and till today – 2005 – I don’t think she passed yet that examination); she promised that she would have reciprocated me enrolling later himself for a course of French which instead interested me and it would never be done. The teacher of mother tongue is ***, a strange character in crisis with the rules of grammar that he should teach us.
***, my colleague with her husband ***, a cousin, starts to very assiduously frequent me, always insisting Ivano to be present. My colleague in this period tells me that the timidity of Ivano is due to the “well known problems with his mother”. Since I fall from the clouds, she immediately changes discourse. In reality with Ivano it doesn’t speak about his mother. He told me that the person of which hands the last name, ***, is not his father. It tells me that towards him he feels great contempt, but he doesn’t go over. Nevertheless I immediately noticed – and I told him – that he doesn’t certainly have neither manners, neither features of Southern Italy nor “piemontesi” (Northern Italy, region of Turin). He gave a hint of a smile. I know he lives at home with those I think to be his mother and his brother, with which I will never find any similarity. I am very astonished, rather, at the lack of “familiarity” with Lucy, of that sort of confidence I always saw, almost “breathed” in all relationships mother–son I met in my life. He doesn’t give answers to my perplexities, neither I insist. I understand there is something he isn’t able or he doesn’t want to speak to me. I realize only a great suffering. Only many years later I will start to understand what he hides behind his painful silences. January 1983 – A few months after my marriage I am informed by my husband *** who did so by a precise “order” of his friend senator *** .
In these years Ivano attends the “salons” of the most eminent families of Cuneo: prefects, intellectuals and teachers, ***, the rich daughter of a colonel, as well as Mrs. ***, woman of great culture and intelligence, widow of a famous lawyer and political of Cuneo.
He also frequents an elderly princess of ancient nobility, *** and the family of her daughter *** who has married an executive of Bank: all people which apparently would seem to share very little in common with whom it seems to be only a young teacher, son of an elementary teacher. When Ivano has introduced me to Mrs. ***, I immediately realize that the level of the conversation is hardly sustainable for me. I have been than in mean to a conversation that goes much over the mere “scholastic” education, however much I have studied. It’s about people really and deeply cultured, in front of which I can only remain spellbound, fascinated both by the matters and by the depth and the politeness with which they are treated. We restart to see each other again with assiduous frequency when Ivano, after a period of teaching in Vicenza, gets the transfer to the zone of Cuneo. In the meantime we however met in different occasions, also when my daughter was born.
May 1984
Ivano puts me in contact with one acquaintance of his (***) and he makes me know the baby sitter for my daughter, a good girl, currently Abbess of the Clarisses***.
1989
A friend dies. We go together to the funeral. The wife (***) of senator *** approaches me asking to introduce her to Ivano. She has looked at him for the whole time of the funeral procession to the point that we were also a little embarrassed. It didn’t however concern only the interest of a woman, but, as in many other occasions, there was the curiosity and the anxiety to be introduced to “someone”. However, her husband was the same senator who had “ordered” my husband to take me in get married. During all these years many other times it happened to me episodes of the kind.
Every time some person, who knew me, saw me together with him, it looked at him with curiosity in the same way; punctually it did in way to stop me to introduce it to him and to invite us, together, to its house. The things are completely changed when Ivano started to want to affirm his own rights and to see recognized his real identity. All people began to avoid me, also my relatives.
Something is not changed instead and it is the fact that for a long time, from when I know him, anywhere we were, at distance of some meters, someone observed him. They were always very distinguished persons. At times it dealt with couples, but there were very often young men, with sunglasses, always very elegant and very discreet, on the face oriental features. It wasn’t, nevertheless, the same person. Often, already in those days, we noticed cars that followed us.
February 1994
It happens the episode that marks for me the first very strong and meaningful experience in the long and painful story of Ivano, in search of justice, for the affirmation of his real identity. In Cuneo a car crossed on the red light in “Corso Brunet”, at the corner with “Viale degli Angeli” cutting off Ivano’s route and destroying his Peugeot. I had just come home after a coffee taken together with him. He called me just when he recovered himself from the impact. I was me to accompany him to the Hospital, not the investor having assisted him, certain *** (friend of *** ) who had the brazen face to come to my house after a few weeks to ask me what I saw. Absurd thing entirely for a normal accident.
February 1995
I had phoned the lawyer ***, who followed my separation, to ask Ivano to assist Ivano for an unjustified as well as ignominious complaint put against him by an ex colleague, *** , and another strange character. The lawyer looses literally his head as soon as he sees Ivano in his study, or, better, he “recognizes” him. He tells me, very irritated, and afraid, that I would have had to tell him that it was “that” friend of mine and that I would never have had to bring him “HIM.” He gives no explanations of his behaviour neither he wants to defend him.
March 1995
The lawyer ***, with a series of pretentious argumentations, renounces to represent me in the cause of separation with also written letter, acquired also later by the Attorney in Turin. I must add, on the subject, that having known that the complainant, *** , is known by the senator *** , I spoke to him so to convince her to withdraw the absurd charge towards Ivano, but the senator – pronounced him available in a first moment – tells me after a few days that on that matter he doesn’t have power to intervene, as he was prevented by someone else higher to him, but by whom?! (The story will conclude later, after a few years of useless delays, with the excerpt of the name of Ivano for his complete and absolute extraneousness from the facts)
March 26th 1996
I am summoned as witness at the hearing of the procedure for failure to help towards *** on the occasion of the accident he caused in February 1994.
The sentence of acquittal for the investor is passed (you look at the combinations!) by the judge honorary lawyer *** (everything preannounced – SIGH! – by the same *** by telephone to Ivano):
The fact doesn’t subsist – therefore there has been no failure to help – because there was no “loss of blood” on face!
Confident in the justice after some weeks, I accompany Ivano in Court to ask the motivation of the sentence: there is among the employees some panic, accompanied by some hesitancy.
Then a chancellor in career puts an end to the matter, tearing the issue from then hand of the employee stayed immovable behind the door. He denies any right to know the motivation, because “the matter doesn’t concern him”. I have recognized in him the fiancé (now husband) of the lawyer *** of the legal study *** which followed the complaint. Useless to add that even the press local accepts to publish anything about, as soon as it realizes of whom it is about. One among the consulted ones is *** , responsible temporarily of “La Guida”, Catholic magazine, who stammering looks for vague, unlikely, “politic” motivations. The other consulted, *** , pretends to take an interest in the question, looking instead for news about Ivano from me. He promises the publication on “La Masca”, secular magazine, of the motivation if I ever succeeded in obtaining it, thing already denied and certainly impossible. We are at this point in first months of 1996. It’s because of all these strange episodes I realized that Ivano must be really a particular “HIM”. He himself has begun to open himself with me by now confident and he asks me to help him working to the truth come out. In the following year we start to look for news at the Registry of Cuneo.
Summer 1996
Ivano finds a strange birth certificate of Ivano Tassone born in November 20th 1957, dated November 12th 1957.
September 1996
At the Town Registry we turn us in a first moment to an acquaintance who at that time lives in front of my house, *** .
She enters the office of the Civil State and she go out from there after some time, very pale. She tells us that we would have been able to obtain the integral certificate on authorization of the Attorney of the Republic, on written request of his mother, because of the necessity of the consent for the reserved news, as in all the cases of adoption.
This convinces me that there must be one. End of year 1996 – beginnings of year 1997 In a book of Arrigo Petacco, “Queen” we were struck by an affirmation of the author around a juvenile love between Maria Gabriella of Savoia and the Shah of Persia Reza Pahlavi.
There was then a transmission on a public national television net that entertained an evening Maria Gabriella of Savoia. The journalist (woman with a brown hair, 30/35 years old, already seen in some other transmission) addressed to her a lot of questions on her infancy and the following days the referendum (Italy, 1946, It won the Republic). She also described the trip on the ship which brought them abroad. She spoke about the nurse and her health problems. They showed some photos. The transmission went on a lot time, among memoirs and questions, ceremonies and smiles, up to when the journalist made to frame a photo which withdrew the princesses of the Savoia family, in which the face of M.Gabriella was underlined by a circle. She asked the princess to speak about the request of marriage made to her by the Shah of Persia through an ambassador (author of the indication on the photo). It was everything very unexpected, sudden, a true bolt from the blue, also in the television study.
The question had not been anticipated and the reaction of the princess was a sudden cold, that didn’t succeed in hiding the great irritation. She didn’t answer. The transmission followed then in the climate of cold that it was created. It was not broadcasted that transmission anymore, neither I saw anymore that journalist in television again.
First months of 1997
Continuing our searches at the Town Registry, we turn us, in the first months of 1997, to an other (ex) friend of mine who works in Town Hall: *** .
Repeatedly, in front of us, she consults the computer connected to the Registry, but Ivano results to be “non existent subject”. Yet ao the Registry from different years it has been loaded, over those born in Cuneo (as it resulted us to be Ivano) also those people that at least once had had the residence. I also result there, born in Naples and even my ex husband who was not born in Cuneo and doesn’t reside anymore during the interrogation of the data on the computer. *** , however, affirms that she would certainly have got to the bottom of the matter, being able to access all the data, also the most reserved of the adopted subjects. Instead she doesn’t tell us anything, but only that Ivano stays for the registry of Cuneo a “non existent subject.” Yet at the Tributary Registry he exists! From this moment *** will avoid me with attention! We directly return after some time to the window of the Civil State:the employee consults the computer and she doesn’t even find the nominative. Then, after other failed attempts, she opens in front of us a very old and big register.
You can just make out a long annotation, but the employee acknowledges our attention and removes the register from our sight, going away. She recopies few data on a sheet, giving us, in practice a “simple” birth certificate, without even any indication of paternity and maternity, sustaining that is also valid for marriage use. Then we try again with another acquaintance of mine, *** . She too consults first the computer of her own office. Later she directly consults another one in the offices of the Registry. Ivano always results a “non existent subject.” Then she directs her steps to the Civil State. From where I wait I can see well what she is doing. She enters the office and takes the same register that the other employee had consulted in our presence; she stays bowed on it and she reads it for long time, for some minutes, very tense. When she goes out (it seems to us after 20 minutes), she is pale and stunned. She tells us that there is no particular piece of news; she writes on a piece of paper the name of the obstetrician (Mrs. ***) and then she adds that the Magistracy would not have been able to allow us to know more, because what is to know is all there.
From that day *** she carefully has always me avoided and also her mother of whom I was friend doesn’t have more me frequented. Even once both, at the sight of Ivano that accompanied me, they have literally escaped. After a few days I contact by telephone the obstetrician *** . She doesn’t ask me who I am or how dare I call her without knowing her. Neither she is amazed, nor even she is indignant, when – brutally entering matter – I ask her why 40 years ago, in the hospital of “Via Malta” in Cuneo, it had been declared as been born after a complete pregnancy a dwarfish child, who weighed at the most 1,7 kg and hadn’t even the fingernails. She answers me that it is not the case to trouble: he is a beautiful strong boy and he doesn’t miss anything! Only (I quote textual words) he was “born not well finished up”! Yet she should not even know of whom I speak.
As a matter of fact, since the first telephone cues she has shown to know well of whom it is about.
Not only: all of a sudden she has affirmed that if there has been the exchange of children (and I don’t absolutely even mentioned to nothing of that kind) it was not sure that it had been her, because it was not certain that there was her in turn that day. When I underline the gravity of her affirmations, then, and only then she asks me the name of the person concerned, telling that she herself would have applied for clarity to the Judicial Authority. In the meantime Ivano has suffered various and serious accidents. Moreover, in his environment of job he starts to be also victim of continuous wisecracks on his “adoption”, with insistent references to his family of origin. In the Office where I work (Receipts Agency, at the time of the facts Direct Taxes Office of Cuneo) the colleagues begin to behave at least in strange way. When I arrive, they suddenly stop speaking, and all they are often and mysteriously connected to the Tributary Registry. The computers, always left connected before to the Tributary Registry, are carefully disconnected from the central system. From my interrogations to the Tributary Registry, Ivano not only results to be existing, but also “relationships with other subjects” are underlined, as in all the cases of homo-code or confluences.
I don’t succeed, however to go over, the computer always stopping itself on his name.
I have hard job to obtain the key of access, I succeed to have later only that of least level.
Easter 1997
Trying to understand what it is happening and sticking willingly to general terms, I ask then to one colleague of mine (***) who at that time frequents me also out of job (we have spent the Easter together) to help me to understand what they are “trafficking” in the Office through the Tributary Registry against a person very friend of mine. She declares troubled not to know anything about it, but the anxiety and the pallor betray her. The day after another colleague, *** , asks me without roundabout expressions what I intend to do relatively to the matter of which I spoke with *** . I answer her that I would have waited for, sure that truth would have come out soon. Since then on both have avoided me. In this period I go with Ivano to the Diocese of Mondovì to ask for the certificate of Confirmation. As the prelate who has opened the door sees Ivano, he literally closed it in our face. We go away dismayed and after few minutes we see him running at full speed as if he had seen a ghost!
April 22nd 1997
I accompany Ivano to the Police Office of Cuneo, to lodge a complaint in consequence of the umpteenth accident. Someone has tried to strike him with a big stone, while he was covering the road to go to the Church, “Madonna della Riva”, in Cuneo. We find in service the inspector *** who listens with attention, oddly showing to have framed well the situation, as if in reality he knew it and he says: “Probably there is upstream a very rich family and big affairs. There are the extreme to begin the investigations, but I have to report to my superior”. He commits himself to call me next morning, to confirm the appointment. Obviously he doesn’t phone anybody to confirm the appointment. I call the police and they tell me that the inspector is far…
When the following Saturday Ivano, from my house, looks for his superior, this badly addresses him summoning not to disturb anymore the police for some foolishness. (It seems that the inspector *** has been transferred forever.)
May 1997
Believing to remove the signature from an account of ***, Ivano discovers that an “Administered Deposit” of San Paolo Bank existed, very old, about which he will succeed never to know more.
Summer 1997
I accompany Ivano to Racconigi. Here in a Sanctuary, a certain *** asks him to write his history to Maria Gabriella of Savoia in a “sub secreto” letter. He does so, full of hopes, but when we return to know about the result, nobody opens. The lawyer *** of Turin, who has started to deal with the story of Ivano, takes all of my notes on the matter. He declares, during the conversation, that it would have been simpler for him, if he had been only child of a great industrialist as *** .
October /November 1997
I accompany again Ivano to the lawyer *** : he delivers him a letter for a medical study that would have had to perform some analyses. I find strange that he has underlined the name and last name in the body of the same one. A few weeks after the lawyer withdraws himself, for “pressures from upper.” At the Parish of the Sacred Heart in Cuneo they release us a certificate of Baptism of Ivano at least “strange”, without any indication of Confirmation and even indicating the date of Baptism in 1997! Here it must be underlined here that in the years we have got in touch different times Maria Gabriella of Savoia. The first time was after the request of *** around the “sub secreto” letter. Not having received an answer, Ivano asked me to write to his mother M.G. I did it, even if, in truth, balky. I asked her, substantially, to answer him or, at least, to return him the letter.
We sent a registered letter with mail confirmation which returned after only around one month and only behind insistences and complaints by Ivano at the Postal Offices. There was even a correspondence among the responsible Postal Office and Ivano. Yet formally I was me who wrote! The receipt came then with a strange signature, perhaps erased and rewritten. Also in the following year Ivano wrote her, he sent her some wishes and different faxes. By fax he also sent the umpteenth request of help with a photo. Needless to say that the thing fell in the total silence.
The unusual thing is that there was not even however a warning against him neither me.
All of this despite the numerous phone calls, done by both to the princess, even, once to Hautecombe. Some secretary generally answered in perfect Italian. Nevertheless, as soon as he or she felt the request she started to stutter in some foreign language, interposed by French, not to understand Italian, promising nevertheless to report to the princess. The same happened once when I phoned Vittorio Emanuele, introducing me as the “witness”. (Unusual the fact that there was always someone giving Ivano “cryptographed” telephone numbers)
Once I phoned, then, to the last living sister of Umberto: Maria Borbone Parma. We had known from Mrs. *** , friend of Lucy, that she lived in France. The same B. wanted to listen to all the facts and the elements of our knowledge, promising to contact her or to make some relative of her or friend who lived near the villa of the princess contact her. The princess Borbone immediately responded very kindly to me, interlocutor from Italy; but as soon as I asked her to talk about Ivano to her niece, she immediately got excited a lot, literally in panic and she said that she wasn’t absolutely possible to her because she never saw her. She interrupted terrorized the phone call. All these phone calls have been made together with Ivano, with the receiver moved from ear or the “long live voice” so that he could listen. In many cases we were forced to call from telephone-boxes because we often had both telephone lines interrupted.
January 1998
Ivano comes deliberately to take me at the exit from the job. The colleagues, who before frequented me and also knew him, were going out together from the Office. At the sight of Ivano they stay practically immovable, they were almost petrified and they don’t even succeed in estranging from the front door, pale and even trembling. When, the next morning, I ask them explanations, I don’t receive any answer. By way of compensation they immediately fail to greet me.
May 1998
The first Ostension of the Holy Shroud, after the fire of the Chapel, took place in the 1998 spring.
The first visit to the Shroud together with Ivano was at 8 May of 1998. It was Friday and he himself had call to reserve two tickets. On the ticket they sent to him it was even written the time of beginning and end of the visit itself: only fifteen minutes in whole.
We had arrived before the time, but already out of the real gardens, at the first entry, a distinguished gentleman made a sign to Ivano, leaving outside a thick group of pilgrims already in queue.
On the gangway in wood, inside the gardens, as we got nearer the great violet curtains, we were more and more isolated from an already thin group of people, not even ten, of which some foreigners, thanks to the intervention of employees, sets to the right and to the left of the gangway, who stopped the other present pilgrims or they allowed only us to pass, uniquely with gestures or signs. All this happened in fact in a big silence, with extreme deference towards Ivano, towards whom when he drew near the employees, of which the aristocratic ways were immediately noticed, they bent the head in sign of regard and respect. Some of these, then, almost accompanied us for a brief distance, up to reach the following little group of appointees who, in their turn, after having made room for Ivano, accompanied us, almost as if silently and discreetly they “escorted” him.
This happened for the whole way and also in the hall of projection we were almost alone. These people did in way, however, that Ivano was always “isolated” in comparison to the others, some footstep before; all remained outdistanced of some meter, me included. Several times I noticed discreet looks of agreement among some presents. Many of them wore blue berets with the coat of arms of the Savoia. Entered the Cathedral, we approached us from left to the Sacred Shroud.
Same script: signs of regard with the head, smiles hardly traced. In front of the Shroud we could remain for the whole desired time. We stopped there at least for a quarter and we went further only when Ivano made me sign to go. At the closing of Ostension of 1998 (I think it was August) we arrived at the Cathedral just before the Ceremony. The staircase was full of believers. Many men wore a kind of blue uniform with coats of arms of the Savoia. It could not be entered, but one of the men in uniform, after a sign to Ivano, lifted a barrier of red rope, made us to pass, making space for us up to the entry of the Cathedral itself. Also in the Church there were different men with the same uniform. For the whole time of the Mass two of them were always at few footsteps from Ivano.
Summer 1998
Also the employee of the Town Hall, *** , didn’t have me more frequented, after our searches at the Registry of Cuneo; One day, however, Ivano and I met her in Galimberti plaza and, after different attempts of her to avoid us, we invited her to have a coffee together with us. We brought the discourse on the famous certificate and on the register on which we had glimpse the long annotation.
I am not sure that Ivano has suggested the last name “Savoia”, but I am certain that *** pronounced “from mother’s side”, affirming that his mother was, precisely, a Savoia. Numerous are the “accidents” suffered by Ivano. Of some of them I was ocular witness. I was too in Turin when a motor biker with a blackened face cut him the road. If I cannot affirm to have seen him pulling out the gun, I remember the expression of his face and the dynamics of the fact. Cemetery of Cuneo: a lady pushed Ivano with some big scissors, proper for the flowers, behind his back. She was not alone. There was a man too who covered the space of the door. The woman, whom I recognized to be the sister *** of my colleague *** , pushed him inside, without apparent motive. She went away only because I, come back, told her, without roundabout expressions, to go out and I didn’t move me from there; then she lowered the scissors and she got further with that man.
October 1998
In the month of October 1998, Ivano phoned me one afternoon (it was Friday) asking me if I were available to listen to a person that had on purpose gone at the morning to school to contact him. I made myself available. He arrived after a few hours together with a retired teacher of Peveragno: ***. She confirmed in my presence, several times, that she had known from doctor *** , whom she knew (and whom she said to be related with *** ), that Ivano was also son of Maria Gabriella of Savoia and the Shah of Persia Reza Pahlavi. She added also that doctor *** had affirmed that the Vatican was opposed to the marriage between the two. She remained much time at my home together with us, taking notes up to after dinner, to have useful elements, she said, to contact very high-ranked acquitances (even in Vatican). After a few days instead she phoned me troubled asking me to pretend I never have known anything from her. I refused myself. I knew from Ivano that she had already been at his home, affirming that doctor *** , who had told her about birth of Ivano, didn’t want to have involved in the matter.
February 1999
I went with Ivano to Cavallermaggiore, on last Sunday of February 1999. (I remember I had noticed that the month of March started precisely with Monday) Ivano had had a telephone contact with Mr. *** who had invited him to go the same afternoon to speak with him. He lived in a little house externally similar to many others, not particularly beautiful. Inside the house, apparently modest, was furnished with objects very beautiful, some of them very ancient and of merit. I remember it well because, cold from the lack of heating of the environment and in embarrassment to feel me minus than “transparent”, I looked around me often, while I was listening to the dialogue between Ivano and this very cultured and distinguished gentleman who toward him she showed extreme respect and attention. It was him saying to Ivano: “You was born in Persia”. He affirmed that with extreme calm. I am certain of this because his affirmation struck me very much. In fact before then I had never known that Ivano had been born in Persia. It struck me also that he didn’t say “Iran” but he used the most ancient name of that Country. He showed to know very well the stories of the Shah and also the environment by which Ivano was surrounded, at home and on the job. He also knew about doctor ***. He saw very well the signs that Ivano has on his shoulders and on his neck. He looked at them as if he already knew them and he got up to take a sort of dictionary of esoteric signs. He explained that those signs certainly pointed out an esoteric rite at the birth, adding that a particular meaning of strength, power was given to the neck. He insisted so that Ivano talked to the prince Vittorio Emanuele or with his son Filiberto. He showed to have some “familiarity” with them; he gave his own telephone number to Ivano writing it on a little sheet detached from a notepad printed all around with the knot of Savoia which he had taken “on the table of the prince.” This gentleman was at head of a sort of monarchic “party”. In reality it was evident that he didn’t only attend the House of Savoia. He was very known and respected to all the monarchies. He affirmed that he had to answer to the wishes sent him for his birthday by Queen Paola of Liegi. He however spoke about the various kings without any subjection. For the Shah he didn’t hide a great admiration. He also said that Vittorio Emanuele owed to him his fortune. Even the Savoia would have been almost poor if they had been obliged to live only with the properties inherited by Umberto! About Maria Gabriella he didn’t practically make any comment. He promised his own interest and that he would have phoned after only few days. When, after about a week, I called to have news, he answered me that he would have called Ivano, as soon as he had had news from undetermined “others”. It was him to observe first, with attention, that on the Cross that Ivano wore, of very unusual style, a there were printed letters, numbers and some signs. Later we tried to decipher what seemed us to be a real code, but unfortunately we couldn’t solve it.
Summer 1999
Thinking about what we had read on the book of Petacco about the Shah of Persia, and remembering the telecast in which it was openly said about the request of marriage made by the Shah to Maria Gabriella of Savoia, we looked for the magazines of that years in the library of Cuneo, convinced they had had to write about it. They denied us the existence of the years of “Gente” that nevertheless I had already read: completely disappeared! The newspaper “Epoca” disappeared too, on which we had read a 1957 article in which it was affirmed the Shah absolutely had to have a male child within the year, if he didn’t want to risk the throne. The Shah himself made some declarations in which he took for granted the birth of the male child within the year. The employee, livid, denied that the library had ever had those magazines. One day, then, while we were trying to find again on a local newspaper (disappeared too) news on a Persian dignitary we had previously read to be often in Cuneo, Ivano was approached by a youth who made strange speeches on the “right people” at the Town Registry. Another time, then, they sprinkled him with something which set him ill.
(During these stories I was plenty of “suggestions” first on my career, then also on my safety and on my children’s one)
Summer 1999
A certain father *** contacted Ivano, he received us in the Sacristy of the Cathedral in Turin.
Also here, as in the occasion of the Ostension of the Holy Shroud, he was welcomed with a lot of deference and respect. In this occasion the priest reinstated to Ivano he was son of the Shah and that he was born in Persia. In the meantime in another interview, in which she introduced herself as lover of plants and flowers that she personally took care of, the princess made a vague indication to the years of her first youth as those in which it was “started the catastrophe”. She displayed her hands dirty of earth: identical to those of Ivano! In these years, meanwhile, the “official” mother of Ivano, Lucy, had told me several times that when her son had to be born in November 1957, her pregnancy was complete. The other son, Elio, was born too after a complete pregnancy and was very big. When, November 20th 1957, she had the contractions, her husband, instead to get at work, had delayed, so much that she had feared not to arrive in time to the hospital. There too, they didn’t get at work. They had, then, oddly covered her, also on the face, with something through which nothing could filter. It was stunned and perhaps they had made her to drink something. When her child had been born she had not felt him to cry and, asked explanations, they told her he was a “good” child. They had not immediately carried him to her, but only after a few hours. They had brought him to her to nurse him and he was a very little child. He hadn’t even the fingernails. When arrived at home she had unswaddled him the “nurse” was aware of the enormous crusts that the child had on the shoulders. The doctor had said they were old of at least fifteen days, well before the birth her child!
February 2000
It enters scene the marshal of the policemen of Mondovì, ***.
March 2000
Ivano is called by the attorney dr. Bausone of the Attorney of the Republic of Mondovì (CN). I am called too, informally, as witness. The questions are reduced to areduce themselves him to a: “Do you confirm?”.
June 2000
It has come to my knowledge that Ivano is very ill, already from several years. The doctors who would have visited him, would have then all agreement on the fact that the lack of his true identity had influenced in serious way the tumour. Despite all this he continues always to take care of the house and of Lucy, besides to devote himself to the school where they press him with any kind of injustice.
July 2000
Ivano, very ill, call Maria Gabriella of Savoia. She answers. He tells her that he is very ill and asks her to help him. The emotion betrays her in the voice*** The timbre, besides, is very similar to that of Ivano. You would say his female version. In the same month I look too for contacts with her, through a noblewoman of Turin who takes care of the shows at Barolo Palace. I speak to her about Ivano. She, who already knows the matter, repeats me that no, she is not able, she is not able, she cannot absolutely intervene and keep the promise given in a precedent phone call, to combine an appointment between Ivano and the princess. She talks to me with voice broken by the emotion and suddenly she starts to cries.
Summer 2000
The investigations continue. I know from Ivano that the marshal B. has declared that they would positively have been concluded within the year.
November 2000
At the Tributary Registry I find the correspondence of Ivano Tassone with Pahlavi Savoia Garro, been born November 12th 1957 in Iran. I immediately inform Ivano who in his turn communicates it to the marshal. I will know that he himself will make then some searches at the office of Mondovì, acquiring further useful data.
January 2001
The newspaper “La Repubblica” published a special insert for the anniversary. At whole page it was reported, in the context of the article devoted to the 1979 facts, a photo of the Shah Reza Pahlavi and of…. IVANO!, next him, wearing the same clothes of the father, recognizable ever since he was a child. It was for me a very strong emotion. It was for Lucy too who immediately recognized him releasing then a written declaration on the subject.
February 6th 2001
It was on Tuesday. In the Office the marshal B. arrived. He delivered, in my presence, an order of the Attorney Bausone’s for investigations at the Tributary Registry for what concerns the subject: Tassone Ivano Pahlavi Savoia Garro. He asked me to be present at the investigations. The manager had to accept and in his turn he wanted to be helped by the responsible person of the access codes of the Office, Mr. ***. In reality it was not permitted me to access the data and *** himself several times intervened to braking my impatience. At the end, however, Mr. *** was much more satisfied than me. According to him there was nothing to see. Neither the marshal contradicted him who, going out, reassured me on the fact that he would have returned soon and he would have forced them, considered the evidence of the data at his disposal, to say the truth. He also asked me to come and see him an evening with Ivano. A few days after, irritated by the behaviour of my colleague and disappointed by the marshal, asked an appointment with the Manager of the Office, I asked him expressly to pull out the documents of Ivano which I knew to be in the Office. He hid himself behind an “I am the last arrival, I am not responsible, I don’t know”. He pretended then that there were no reserved superior levels when, because of his attitude, I asked him to have the access to all the data.
February 9 th 2001
(I remember well because it was my birthday)
At his home the marshal reinstated the very positive state of the investigations and the fact that the matter would be soon concluded with the declaration of Ivano’s identity, in reality first-born male of the last Shah Reza Pahlavi and Maria Gabriella of Savoia. He also confirmed that his true parents were also married and that he was legitimate child, only heir of the title and the patrimony, according to the Islamic law. In the following months there were some TV networks that transmitted filmed images of the celebrations of the Persian Empire wanted by the Shah himself. Some tapes were transmitted which withdrew the same event published on “La Repubblica” newspaper.
August 2001
Every time we turned to someone or also Institutions, as Registry or Judges, it has been always said that what we looked for, i.e. the papery documentation of the true identity of Ivano, was also elsewhere. In reality every of the consulted ones tried to avoid any risk and sent us to an “elsewhere” that however he almost ever pointed out. In the case of the search of the practice of adoption, nevertheless, the “passing the buck” was very precise: Cuneo sent us to Turin and vice versa. Yet at the Court of Cuneo they were really materially delivering us the practice of adoption. The young employee, who was at the Civil Chancellery, didn’t have any doubt on the legitimacy of the request of Ivano who, as the person directly concerned, surely had the right to acquire the requested documents, in compliance with all regulations (Law on the transparency, law on the privacy). If it had not intervened the strange character who literally warned him to deliver even only a trace of what we looked for, literally terrorizing him, we would have succeeded in having all. Not yet this gentleman could deny what it was affirmed before by the employee of the Chancellery. He didn’t denied that Ivano had the right to see the practice of adoption. Shamelessly he denied it was there, and, summoning us to go out, he badly tell us to turn us to the Juvenile Court in Turin. In reality all the contacted people realized to do an abuse denying the requested data, they not only contradicted each other, but also himself. There was a phase of the discussion in which Mrs. *** of the Registry of Cuneo, during our umpteenth attempt to access the data, admitted, finally, the right of Ivano to access his documents, but later she denied it again.
I would have liked to press her more while she was being in evident contradiction, but I couldn’t do it because prevented by Ivano himself who in that occasion, as in other similar circumstances, used extremely polite ways, too much for my taste. At the end everyone sent us elsewhere, also making clear reference to Lucy Garro who surely had other documents or knew where to retrieve them, as concerned person. We had the certainty of the falsehood of the declarations of the employees at the various offices. I felt to be taken for a ride in the most shameful way. I imagined what Ivano had to feel! How could the employee of the Chancellery of a Court think to deliver us the practice of the affiliation – though perhaps in copy -, if this had not been legitimate? How, instead, could a Town Hall employee affirm that he required, for a simple extract of birth, the authorization of the Attorney of Cuneo? Besides, at the beginning, ***, realizing that in the computer of the Town Registry there were no data of Ivano, she said it had to an error, that it was not possible. Only a few days later, after having consulted herself with some superior, she affirmed that the data was updated only since 1970. But it was not true, she herself had shown us on the video homonyms of Tassone Ivano been born before 1970. Then she spoke of a secret file. The Manager of the Direct Taxes Office of Cuneo, far from showing wonder when, after marshal B.’s visit, I had expressly asked him the documents of the identity of Ivano, only worried to underline that, being the last arrival, he didn’t want to be the scapegoat. Another colleague, employed at the terminals of the Office, had tried to deny even the evidence of what it was written on the just printed interrogation: “relationships with other subjects”, while she tried to pull the sheet away of my hand. And what can I say of the others who dared deny what they were unwisely allowed to escape from lips at telephone with Ivano around the existence “of another name on the same code”…..? ? To my pressure they tried save themselves suggesting other places where we would to be able to clarify, perhaps at Town Hall…
August 2002
In the summer of 2002 we went, one Saturday of end August, to the Cathedral in Turin.
It was the first afternoon. We had just approached near the Chapel where there is the reproduction of the Shroud, when, when there was a look of agreement among some presents. One of them got further and immediately after a short man with white beard and hair arrived, not elderly, perhaps about fifty years old and with a great resemblance with a physicist who often appears in a scientific-popular telecast. He made to approach Ivano, with a sign and, always turning almost entirely to him with extreme respect and deference, he explained all about the Shroud, also speaking in French.
He also did, all of a sudden, a reference to the Persians.
Meanwhile, insisting in my searches at the Tributary Registry, I discovered it resulted headed to Lucy an insurance policy that every year foresaw the payment of a prize of well 39 million liras!
December 8th 2002
We tried the way of the Appeal to the Court of the Human Rights for Europe of Strasburg.
January 8th 2003
The Court responded us and registered the appeal itself.
Every dispatch of mail to Strasburg contained documents, accompanied by a letter of mine and one of Ivano’s. Authentic copy of the sent letters is in our possession.
January 14 th 2003
We formalized the appeal transmitting the first elements.
May/August 2003
Transmission of documents and answers of acquisition. Moreover the Court of Strasburg asked Turin for the documents concerning Ivano. A judge prepared a folder to send, but he was prevented from doing it by the highest Italian authorities. At his protest he was relegated in an office where he was unapproachable, as attested by the judge of Cassation contacted by me. (see bottom: End August 2003)
August 1st 2003
Ivano asked me to prepare a letter of intimation to the BRE (European Regional Bank) of Peveragno to let other people make transactions on his account. It already happened disagreeable episodes and Ivano and Lucy had been forced to turn, in past, to the policemen.
August 2003
Then I came in contact with an adviser of Cassation, ***, jurist known besides his position, also for different texts and publications, expert of International Familiar Law. Already at the first dialogue it had clearly emerged that he knew well the matter of Ivano. Therefore, after some days, I had called him back and clearly and directly spoken of the case, informing him that I legally represented at Strasburg one friend of mine who lives in Italy under other identity, but who is in reality, the son of Reza Pahlavi, last Shah of Persia and Maria Gabriella of Savoia. “Yes, the first son of the Shah”, he himself underlined, without showing the least surprise, not only, but with expression of who affirms with conviction. This time he had also shown to know the introduced appeal and its motivations, inviting me even in a too much implicit, to accept, in the interest itself of my “assisted”, an European reimbursement of 50.000 euros!
End August 2003
Against every expectation, in contradiction with the positive news which were until then reached us, the Court rejected the appeal, alleging to motive that the rule allowed to a narrow committee of three judges to reject the appeal, but without explanation of the taken decision, but only declaring “closed” the appeal. Really strange! Subsequently to the decision of Strasburg I sent to the judge an excerpt of the documents of the proof of the true identity of Ivano. When, after about a week, he phoned me (I had left him a message in his automatic answering device in which I told him I wanted to communicate him further developments), he called me an “irresponsible crazy person” several times, reproaching me – without any conviction – of the errors committed by me in the procedural iter. He suggested me to proceed to a civil action of recognition, or better, of “disownment” of the paternity. He didn’t put, however, in doubt that what I sustained was true: he was surely the son of the Shah, but poor guy, my incapability had prevented him seeing recognized his rights. (correct iter: civil cause). After I sent him a copy of the letter transmitted to Strasburg.
He confirmed me by phone (he probably never wrote to me because “verba volant…”) what he had already affirmed, i.e. that I was right, but, that the “substantial truth” of the facts was useless for me, because the “juridical” truth was different. ***, speaking of the judge who has been relegated in Rome so that he didn’t follow any more the case of Ivano anymore at Strasburg, says that he is “unapproachable”. I sent then him the photos of Ivano, of the false parents, of the Shah, of the Shah with him child at court. “It’s evident that two are not his parents”, he told me without hesitation. This time too he confirmed the truth of the facts, still suggesting a civil iter, this time towards the heirs of the Shah. He didn’t call me more an “irresponsible”, but he recognized that I was legitimated to classify as “ignoble” the behaviour of who, in the Institutions, inclusive judges, had very damaged Ivano. He would not have done it, he would have thought over it 50.000 times, before denying him his rights!
To my solicitation on the opinion about the man and the judge, he asked me to acknowledge to him that he had never contested me the substance of the truth of the facts about which it spoke. He knows that Ivano is the son of the Shah Reza Pahlavi and of Maria Gabriella of Savoia.
Autumn 2003
I sent to some Dioceses and some regional political groups an appeal, equipped of the usual photos, so that they lent a hand to Ivano. Nobody ever deigned himself to answer.
Spring 2004
In the last spring, in March, Lucia Garro decided to settle herself at the house of her true son Eliodoro. Ivano tried in all the ways to hold back her. She was inflexible.
April 4th 2004
Ivano transferred himself at the house of some friends of his, also to follow the new legal controversy.
Summer 2004
One common acquaintance of ours, ***, was completely refused to help Ivano when he had asked him, nevertheless she boasted a lot of acquaintances at the Registry of Cuneo.
In that occasion he didn’t even mentioned to his true identity, but she had declared that his situation was too much delicate. I met her this summer and speaking of Ivano, I have told her “point-blank”: “You know who is really!”. Taken unawares she immediately answered: “Yes, he was the son of” – interrupting herself afraid – “… what’s-it-name …”. “No, I answered, he is the son of the Shah, he is still alive.”. It was very pale while I was assuring her, saying goodbye, that truth would have soon come to light.
October 19th 2004
Ivano is in Cuneo for a few weeks. Since then it has happened anything. He was even abducted, as I myself declared to the policemen by fax in date November 20th 2004, document in the minutes at the headquarters of Vicoforte Mondovì, Cuneo and Peveragno and therefore verifiable.
November 22nd 2004
After my report the thing seemed not to have aroused any interest. So I decided to go to the Police Station in Peveragno to have news and to be escorted to the house of Eliodoro who previously had already warned me to come there. They made me wait for long time, even if they immediately recognized me, so that to the policeman who was taking my name and address, fell from his hand the documents, while he was stammering that he knew “for whom I was there,… I look for…Tassone…Ivano,… but I had to talk to the commander”. When the commander received me he pretended not to know anything; I pointed out then my fax in great show on the desk, not even registered! Ivano, according to him, was at home of his relatives for his choice for shame of my strange requests. When I remembered him that surely the policemen could not ignore that they were not his true relatives, he said that he was freely there, because the policemen of Vicoforte had certified him that they had brought him to Peveragno on his precise request and the local policemen of the town were brought themselves on purpose there to verify it. He didn’t save me the rumours of town according to which we, who declared us his friends, had interest for his big capitals! I wasn’t affected me and I reminded him it was other capitals to be investigated. Among an attempt to intimidate me and one to make me to contradict myself the discussion finally ended when, having declared to me that they didn’t want to accompany me to St. Giovenale, I went away. When I reached St. Giovenale and I saw Ivano at the window I couldn’t believe it. There were two gates closed with bolts, and happly he had chosen by himself to be there!!!!!!!
He had to get over them to get in my car and go away.
December 10th 2004
The most hard-working were the policemen of Vicoforte who informally summoned me to have news more detailed around my report. I deposed what I knew: worried for Ivano, I had gone to the Police Station of Peveragno and then to St. Giovenale. Here Ivano, who – as several times declared by the policemen themselves of Peveragno – was fully able and free to decide, had asked me to take him away, and he had gone away from the house of Eliodoro climbing over the closed gates with two bolts.