I had never heard of this plot. However, there is nothing secret about the close ties, both corporate and ideological, between Mussolini and American businessmen.

The well known OSS counter-intel spy, James Jesus Angleton, had a determining role in post-war Italy, where his actions cleaned and recycled fascists and set the stage for the cold war. His father was a strong supporter of Mussolini and, if I recall off hand, honorary head of the Milan Chamber of Commerce in the thirties. James Jesus had a thorough fascist family education. The OSS and the later CIA amounted to a Wall Street mafia, tactically anti-fascist when convenient.

But what is of more interest is the assassination of Italian deputy Giacomo Matteotti in 1924. According to recent research, his assassination may have also been ordered by Mussolini to prevent him from revealing the close business ties of Mussolini with American oil companies involved in the Teapot Dome scandal, a possible major scandal of corruption involving oil rights in Southern Italy, as well as intrigue in Iraq and Persia. Matteotti had received a dossier from the English socialists just days before his assassination and was to address parliament with his accusations.

The owners of the American oil companies involved were, just as their descendants are, well known for their far rightwing positions.