Between bureaucracy and politics. The case of the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic in Italy (1948–1962)

This article examines the role of the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Italian Republic during the mandates of Luigi Einaudi and Giovanni Gronchi (1948–1962). Drawing on largely unexplored archival sources, it highlights how this office, formally the head of the presidential administration, also acted as legal advisor, political mediator, and strategic counsellor to the Head of State. By analysing the biographies and functions of Ferdinando Carbone, Nicola Picella, and Oscar Moccia-alongside the informal influence of Francesco Cosentino-the article demonstrates how Secretaries General contributed to shaping the presidency’s position within the fragile post-war political system. The findings reveal a hybrid role at the intersection of administration and politics, which provided continuity, mediation, and constitutional guidance. Far from being a purely bureaucratic office, the Secretariat emerges as a strategic crossroad of political intelligence in early republican Italy.