For many years Mario Altieri, author of the volume L’altra Storia, devoted careful and meticulous study to the memoir attributed to Luigi Canali, inherited from his maternal grandparents. This was neither an interest born of a sudden impulse nor the result of a historiographical vocation developed over time, but rather the awareness — emerging from the very first readings — that those pages could not be regarded as a simple family remembrance. The events narrated, the names mentioned, and the circumstances described appeared in fact to intertwine with one of the most complex and controversial chapters of twentieth-century Italian history. Publishing the memoir without a rigorous preliminary verification would have been not only imprudent, but also methodologically incorrect. Aware of the limits of his own preparation regarding the subjects addressed, the author therefore embarked upon a long and complex path of research: consulting numerous historical texts, carrying out inspections in the places where the events took place, analyzing official documents, and constantly seeking dialogue with scholars and historians of the period. The greatest difficulties emerged precisely in the attempt to establish a dialogue with the academic and journalistic worlds. Distrust and caution often hindered, and at times prevented, any real possibility of discussion. Only in a few cases was it possible to begin a truly constructive exchange. Among the most significant collaborations, particular mention must be made of Enzo Antonio Cicchino, author and director of RAI documentaries as well as a scholar of the historical period in question. Creator and curator of the YouTube channel Erodoto TV, dedicated to interviews, testimonies, and in-depth studies on the final days of Fascism and the death of Benito Mussolini, Cicchino was among the first to read and analyze the memoir, considering its attribution to Luigi Canali plausible. On May 27, 2021, the author presented a report on the memoir at the Fondazione Ugo Spirito e Renzo De Felice in Piazza delle Muse 25, Rome. The conference was attended by Colonel Pierpaolo Pesce of COVASER, Lieutenant Colonel Emilio Tirone of the Ufficio Storico dell’Esercito, and Professor Giuseppe Pardini, who was also representing Professor Francesco Perfetti, unable to attend due to prior commitments. After examining the contents of the memoir, Professor Giuseppe Pardini expressed the opinion that the document could indeed be attributed to Luigi Canali, issuing a detailed statement reproduced in full in the book. Different, yet entirely understandable, was the position of Professor Francesco Perfetti, a pupil of Renzo De Felice and a rigorous supporter of a research method based exclusively on documentary verification of sources. Perfetti preferred not to express an opinion on the authenticity or attribution of the memoir, believing that, given the current state of knowledge, sufficiently solid documentary evidence for a definitive assessment was still lacking. In August 2025, the author established contact by e-mail with Giordano Bruno Guerri — historian, essayist, and president of the Fondazione Il Vittoriale degli Italiani — agreeing on the possibility of submitting the volume for his opinion. Initially, a personal meeting on Lake Garda was considered, where the author was expected to travel for work reasons; however, due to commitments related to the Festival dannunziano di Pescara, the meeting did not take place. Guerri himself suggested leaving the volume with the Vittoriale’s secretariat, which was subsequently done. The book, in its first edition of approximately 170 pages, was structured for easy consultation. Nevertheless, about two months after delivery, Guerri preferred not to express a judgment, explaining that he had not had sufficient time to read it, being engaged in the writing of one of his own works. A circumstance entirely understandable on a personal level, yet one that reflects a frequent dynamic within academic and cultural circles, where research and publishing priorities inevitably tend to focus on personal projects. In January 2026, the author was contacted by journalist Massimo Giletti who, after reading the first edition of the book and discussing it with Enzo Antonio Cicchino, considered it appropriate to initiate further investigations into the memoir, with the intention of presenting it on the Rai 3 television program Lo Stato delle Cose. To this end, the author provided the editorial staff with two original pages of the document so they could be subjected to technical examination by the competent offices of the Archivio Centrale dello Stato. After more than two months of in-depth analysis of the submitted documentation, it was not possible to reach definitive conclusions, nor were any elements identified that could disprove the authenticity of the memoir. Meanwhile, before the episode dedicated to the subject could be broadcast, Lo Stato delle Cose was unexpectedly cancelled by RAI management, despite the program’s strong ratings and growing public interest. A circumstance that effectively prevented the topic from being publicly discussed in the television context originally intended. The author’s attempts to engage with the academic and journalistic worlds prior to the publication of L’altra Storia essentially end here. It would certainly have been desirable to develop a thorough debate before the dissemination of the memoir — a debate that the author would have welcomed and published in full within the book. Nevertheless, the hope remains that such discussion may emerge in the future, helping to shed further light on the events and documents presented here.