Campaigning with the Party Boss

Two days after he kicked off the Communists'campaign in Rome, Party Leader Enrico Berlinguer headed out to the provinces. Instead of a prepared speech, the rally format called for Berlinguer to answer questions from the audience--a novelty in Italian politics. Explained one of Berlinguer's aides: "We want to get out from under the whole style of emotional propaganda and ready-made phrases and instead, reason with the people." TIME'S Rome bureau chief Jordan Bonfante followed Berlinguer on his first day on the hustings. His report:

The day began like any other for Berlinguer when he arrived at his small, book-filled office at Communist Party headquarters in Rome at 7:45 a.m. There he went over the press digest already prepared by his staff, and spent the better part of the forenoon on paperwork at his desk and meeting with other party officials. Then, accompanied by a few of his top aides, the party chief headed east of Rome in his chauffeur-driven, nut-colored Fiat-132 sedan. His destination: the mountain town of Avezzano in the Abruzzi region, a strong Christian Democrat preserve and one of the three constituencies,* along with Rome and Venice, where Berlinguer is the top Communist candidate for the Chamber of Deputies.

After a late lunch, talks with local party officials and a brief rest, Berlinguer went over to the late-afternoon rally in the Piazza Risorgimento in the center of town. A mostly partisan crowd of about 7,000 had already assembled in neat rows of wooden chairs, and burly young workers--like those who protect all Communist demonstrations against possible trouble--patrolled the grounds. As Berlinguer mounted the raised blue rostrum in front of the large neo-Romanesque cathedral, the crowd greeted him with a standing ovation.

Sipping from a Scotch-and-water on the table before him, the party chief fielded questions from the audience for three solid hours. It was a virtuoso political performance if only for its stamina. "Cultural expression must be guaranteed absolutely," he told a high school teacher who asked him how the party felt about intellectual freedom. Answering questions from an actress, a magistrate, several soldiers, and representatives of minor political parties, Berlinguer ran the gamut of the Communists' positions. Repeatedly, he stressed their new proposal for a government of "broad democratic unity."

He reaffirmed the party's support of the Common Market, acceptance of NATO, and full respect for pluralism and basic freedoms. He also reasserted the Italian party's independence from Moscow, noting that "our internationalism," as he called the party's ongoing solidarity with the international Communist movement, "has never prevented us from practicing full independence, and it has never prevented us from criticizing events and attitudes in the socialist countries"--a pointed reminder of the Italian party's disapproval of many Soviet positions.

Finally it was the turn of Costantino Rossi, local secretary of the centrist, anti-Communist Social Democratic Party, to question Berlinguer. "We still recall the image of children, women and workers crushed in the streets of Dubcek's Prague," said Rossi in a voice edged with emotion, referring to the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. "What guarantees do we have that it could not happen here?" The question struck a raw nerve in the crowd, which came to its feet in a chorus of unruly hoots and whistles and shouts of "Get out of here!" Some angry loyalists lunged toward Rossi, who scampered away among some parked cars. There, arms crossed, he waited for Berlinguer's reply.

"Our party cannot be reproached for any single act contrary to the rules and principles and ideals of democracy," said Berlinguer. "No party gave more blood in the resistance. And afterward, too, we participated in the development of the constitution. What does Prague have to do with anything? That was another situation, another Communist Party, with other aspirations." Then, referring to the Italian party's condemnation of the Russian intervention, he added: "And, in fact, we took our stand on the events of Prague."

By the time Berlinguer had finished, the rally had quieted down and there were no further incidents. But the heated exchange with Rossi and the close brush with a real disturbance had shown how taut Italian political nerves are these days--and how far the Communists' appeal for unity among the parties has to go before it becomes a reality.

* Candidates may run in more than one district. If they win more than one seat, they choose the district they wish to represent; the other seats revert to those next in line on the party ticket.

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