ITALY DISTURBED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 73, 23 September 1939, Page 14

ITALY DISTURBED

VITAL INTERESTS AT v . STAKE

DESIRE TO SEE WAR

END

{By Telegraphs-Press Association—Copyright.) (Received September 23, 2 p.m.) NEW YORK, September 22. The Rome correspondent of the "New York Times" reported by radio-telephone • that events in Central Europe moved badly for Italy today. There is a more vigorous Press campaign about the absurdity and criminality. of "continuing the war," the criminals being Britain and France. The war has not touched Italy yej:, and if it continues on the present lines vital Italian interests will be involved. Apart from the apparently sincere belief that the war has ceased to have a raison d'etre and humanitarian motives, Italy has material reasons for seeing it end before the Balkans become involved. The news of the final Russo-German division of Poland does not provide a Polish State based on ethnic frontiers. This is very disturbing to Italy, for it means that Italian suggestions have been ignored and that Russia and Germany are destroying one of Italy's main reasons for accepting Poland's defeat. The correspondent says, that Italy's prime' consideration is to keep the Mediterranean open, otherwise her mercantile structure would collapse. The possibilities of an Italian war trade boom are equal to those of the United States. Commercial relations between Britain and Italy and France and Italy are developing considerably. Italy needs raw materials which 'are unob- • tamable from Russia and Germany, arid she-also needs cash, which Britain 'and France, but not Berlin, are able to pay.