Antonio Gramsci’s letters that Piero Sraffa did not forward to the Italian Communist Party

Our study of the circumstances surrounding Sraffa’s neglect to forward to the PCI two substantial groups of Gramsci’s letters to Tatiana Schucht, written between 17 April and 4 December, 1933, allows us to see how the dates of these letters correspond to Sraffa’s realization that the PCI’s centro estero could not guarantee that delicate information would be treated with all the necessary caution. Publication of these letters could have been particularly damaging to Gramsci’s situation. It could have interfered with his chances of improving his conditions as an inmate or of getting even adequate medical care. We therefore conclude that Sraffa, making a distinction between fulfilling agreements with the PCI and actually looking out for Gramsci’s best interests, decided that withholding these letters was the best option for protecting his friend.