On 19 June 1943, the last cabinet meeting of the Fascist age took place.Bianchi (1963), p. 401 The Minister of Communication, Senator Vittorio Cini, a powerful Italian industrialist, confronted Mussolini about finding a time and way to exit the war.Bianchi (1963), p. 403 Cini resigned after the meeting which signaled the falter in Mussolini's charisma even among his own entourage. People devoted to him, including OVRA agents and the Germans, consistently told him that several plots were going on. The Duce never reacted, telling each one that they were reading too many crime novels or were affected by persecution mania.Bianchi (1963), p. 405 On 24 June, Mussolini gave his last important speech as prime minister, known as the "boot topping" () speech. The Duce promised that the only part of Italy that the Anglo-Americans would be able to occupy was the shore-line. He was misspoken in his effort to say they would only occupy Italy as corpses, and he used incorrect vocabulary.Bianchi (1963), p. 410 For many Italians, his confused and incoherent speech was the final proof that something was wrong with Mussolini.Bianchi (1963), p. 417
