Benito Li Vigni (often spelled Benito Livigni in English-language references, but correctly Li Vigni) was a close collaborator of Enrico Mattei, founder and president of ENI. Over the years, he made a number of claims about ENI, Mattei’s death, and Italian politics. It is important to distinguish his personal assertions from findings that have been established by courts or supported by documentary evidence.
Here are the main revelations and claims he made:
1. Mattei was assassinated, not killed in an accident
This is his central claim.
Li Vigni argued that:
- Mattei’s 1962 plane crash was the result of an assassination.
- The original investigation was deliberately misled through cover-ups and false leads.
- Mattei had received threats shortly before his death.
This point is partly consistent with later judicial findings. Decades after the crash, Italian investigations concluded that the aircraft was destroyed by an explosive device rather than by pilot error, although those investigations did not identify who ordered the attack.
2. Mattei was negotiating a strategic alliance with President Kennedy
Li Vigni claimed that he discovered previously classified correspondence in the JFK and Eisenhower presidential libraries showing that:
- John F. Kennedy viewed Mattei as a strategic partner.
- The two discussed strengthening Italy’s geopolitical role in the Mediterranean.
- Kennedy wanted American oil companies to offer ENI better supply contracts than those available from the Soviet Union.
- Mattei was expected to visit Kennedy shortly before his death.
These claims are based largely on Li Vigni’s own interpretation of archival documents.
3. ENI challenged the “Seven Sisters”
According to Li Vigni:
- Mattei’s biggest “crime” was breaking the dominance of the major international oil companies.
- ENI negotiated directly with countries such as:
- Algeria,
- Iraq,
- Egypt,
- the Soviet Union,
offering producing countries significantly better terms than the established oil majors.
This aspect of Mattei’s strategy is well documented by historians.
4. Iraq was a turning point
Li Vigni recounted that:
- Iraqi leader Abdul Karim Qasim publicly announced plans for a partnership between Iraq and ENI.
- ENI staff immediately feared this announcement would provoke powerful interests.
- He personally urged Mattei not to fly because he believed his life was in danger.
This is based on Li Vigni’s eyewitness account rather than independently verified evidence.
5. ENI became different after Mattei’s death
Li Vigni argued that after Mattei’s death:
- ENI gradually abandoned Mattei’s independent geopolitical strategy.
- Italy became more dependent on international financial and political interests.
- The privatizations of the 1990s fundamentally changed the company’s mission.
This is his political interpretation rather than an established historical conclusion.
The most controversial claims
Li Vigni also linked Mattei’s death to a broader network involving:
- Eugenio Cefis,
- the P2 masonic lodge,
- the “strategy of tension”,
- journalist Mauro De Mauro’s disappearance,
- and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s death.
These connections remain highly controversial. While they have appeared in books, documentaries, and public debate, they have not been established by Italian courts as proven historical facts.
For someone researching ENI, Li Vigni is interesting because he offers an insider’s perspective on Mattei and ENI’s early years. However, many of his broader conclusions—particularly about conspiracies and the actors behind Mattei’s death—should be treated as claims or interpretations unless corroborated by independent evidence.
Benito Li Vigni did speak about the Mafia, but it’s important to distinguish between what he personally claimed and what has been established by judicial investigations.
The main points he made are:
- He believed the Mafia played a role in Enrico Mattei’s assassination.
Li Vigni argued that the bombing of Mattei’s aircraft was not simply the work of commercial rivals or foreign intelligence services. He suggested that the Sicilian Mafia was involved in carrying out the operation, while implying that more powerful political and economic interests may have been behind it. - He linked Mattei’s death to the disappearance of journalist Mauro De Mauro.
De Mauro disappeared in Palermo in 1970 while investigating Mattei’s death. Li Vigni considered the two cases connected and believed the Mafia eliminated De Mauro because he was getting too close to the truth. - He discussed alleged links between the Mafia and the Italian state.
In later interviews, Li Vigni broadened his focus beyond ENI and spoke about the alleged relationships between Cosa Nostra, politics, and state institutions, including the murders of judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
What have Italian courts concluded?
Italian investigations over several decades concluded that:
- Mattei’s aircraft was destroyed by an explosive device, meaning it was an assassination rather than an accident.
- However, no court has identified or convicted the people who ordered the killing.
Separate judicial proceedings into Mauro De Mauro’s disappearance concluded that the Mafia was responsible for his murder, but the full motive and any involvement of actors beyond the Mafia have never been conclusively established.
Li Vigni’s broader interpretation
Li Vigni often argued that the Mafia was not acting alone, but rather as an instrument used by more powerful interests. In his interviews and writings, he connected the Mattei affair with figures such as Eugenio Cefis, the P2 lodge, and the “strategy of tension.” These broader allegations remain his interpretation and have not been established as historical fact by Italian courts.
So, if you’re researching ENI, it’s accurate to say that Li Vigni repeatedly asserted that the Mafia was involved in Mattei’s assassination, but it would be more cautious to describe this as his claim, while noting that the judiciary established the assassination itself but not the identity of those ultimately responsible.
Personal Remarks
Let me do some bold affirmation here: ENI became different after Mattei’s death … so did the mafia influence ENI’s strategy?
SOURCE
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