meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
History Daily

The Mysterious Death of “God’s Banker”

History Daily

History Daily

History

4.42.5K Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

June 18, 1982. The body of Italian banker and convicted fraudster Roberto Calvi is discovered hanging from a bridge in London, England. This episode originally aired in 2024.


  • Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.


History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free.

0:04.1

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app.

0:06.0

As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts,

0:10.5

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com.

0:17.0

A listener note, this episode contains references to suicide and may not be suitable for all audiences.

0:31.8

It's the morning of June 18, 1982 in London, England. A motorboat powers its way through the dull waters of the

0:39.2

River Thames. On its deck, a police officer tries to keep his balance as he stares over the

0:44.7

bow. Ahead is Blackfriars Bridge, a major river crossing in the center of the city. And as the

0:50.5

boat gets closer, the officer waves his hand directing the pilot to slow down.

0:55.3

He can see something beneath the bridge.

0:58.3

At 7.30 this morning, the postman called the police to report a grisly discovery.

1:03.7

As he was walking along the path that leads underneath the bridge, the postman spotted someone

1:08.7

hanging from a rope. It looked like a suicide, and now this police

1:13.2

officer's job is to recover the body. The boat pilot kills the engine, and they float gently

1:18.7

alongside the corpse. The dead man is half submerged in the river, and the expensive suit he's

1:24.6

wearing is glistening and sodden. The officer snaps a few photographs for evidence before putting down the camera and taking

1:31.6

hold of the rope around the man's neck.

1:33.9

The officer pulls on the rope, trying to lift the body out of the water, but it's far too

1:38.6

heavy and barely moves.

1:40.4

So the officer asks the boat pilot for help, and together they grab the dead man and on the count of three

1:46.2

heave the body into the boat.

1:50.7

As the officer rolls the dead man onto his back, a brick falls out of the man's suit and onto the deck.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Daily, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Daily and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.