La Petacci is National Menace

Evening Star, Issue 25619, 20 October 1945, Page 10

La Petacci is National Menace

Clone's Diary

Even Himmler Wants Peace HITLER REVEALS STRAIN As Italy blundered on toward ruin and. collapse, the family of Mussolini's mistress, Claretta Petacci, emerged more and more as a sinister, selfish, thieving influence in • the country's tottering society. This is made plain from the diary of Mussolini's son-in-law, Count Ciano.. Even Mussolini's sister, the elderly Donna Edvige, became alarmed to the point where she determined to speak out to II Duce. Ciano admitted to the privacy of his own records that the family had become a " national problem." International affairs continued to go badly. At Hitler's headquarters Ciano heard it said repeatedly that "America is a big bluff." It was to him like the whistling of small boys when going past the graveyard.

Ciano wrote: March 19.—“ Pavolini (Minister of Popular Enlightenment) returns from a conversation with Goebbels (Nazi Propaganda Minister) and paints a dark picture of Germany's situation. He spoke of a crisis in the regime, and of ‘ walking oh the edge of a razor.’. ... They no longer talk of beating Bolshevism. They will be satisfied jf they reach the Caucasus.

" Pavolini related a funny story. When Goebbels sent Farinacci (Fascist secretary) a bust of Hitler, the bust was brought by the gauleiter of Essen, who pretends to speak Italian, but doesn't. In delivering it he said: " Your Excellency, Minister Goebbels has entrusted me to bring you questa busta (this envelope,"something'empty without original ideas). Goebbels is the first to laugh about it."

Himmler himself, who was an extremist in the past, wants a compromise peace. England will be ripe for negotiations, especially if there is a possibility of collaboration by the Germans against the Japanese in Asia. Are these the imaginings of Bismarck, or do they represent German opinion? "

NAZIS PLANNING FOR DEFEAT March 24.—" I brought II Duce a report by Luciolli on Germany. . . . lie explains how politics was unable to assist the military conquest. They talked much about a New Order, but did nothing to bring .it into being. The whole of Europe languishes under German occupation.

" Luciolli mentions the fact that in Germany they now think of eventual defeat. For this reason they want all the countries of the Continent exhausted, so that even in defeat the Germans will be relatively stronger. II Duce was struck by the idea, and said that by the end of 1943 he intends to have 15 divisions in the valley of the Po (Northern Italy)." DUCE'S DEAD SON March 28.—" Distribution of gold medals to fallen aviators. Balbo's sou (Air-Marshal Balbo was shot down by Italian anti-aircraft fire at Tobruk in 194 i), who doesn't look like his father, but remembers him very well, received his father's medal without batting an eye, pale and proud. " Then it was the turn of Bruno's widow (Mussolini's son, Bruno, was killed in an aeroplane crash, August 7, 1941). ■ Mussolini's expression wss stonelike and didn't change. He decorated Bruno's wife, the wife of his Bruno, as though she were any one among those who have been left alone. Someone asked: Is li Duce superhuman or inhuman? He is neither. He simply wes conscious that any weakness on his psrt would have been echoed in a thousand hearts. ... "hi Venice there have heen the first popular demonstration? against the broad shortage. . . . Tl Duce was resentful, and sad, and ordered that the crowds be scattered by police using sheathed swords." EVIL INFLUENCE March 29.—" Castaldi, the former Federal Secretary- in Turin, comes to me with a story of his arguments with a partner. Up to this point there is nothing bad. but, as usual, the Petacci "family is concerned, and people gossip about it. " The Petacci family meddles on.one hand, gives political protection on the other, threatens from above, intrigues from below, and steals in all four directions. . . . This scandal will spread and will involve 11 Duce. .But what can one do to warn him, especially since two of his most intimate collaborators arc making loads of money? " .April. I.—" 11 Duce has learned from n:i industrialist that this saying is curri'ii* in Germany: '.ln two months we bIi:i!! win the war against Russia, in four months against England, and in fo:w days against Italy.' " ' \pril s.—" Del Drago returns from Paris In Berlin there is nothing new on the surface. In some German circles he was told that after the offensive on the eastern front, which practically will liquidate the Russians, they are hoping for a compromise peace with the AngloSaxons." GEEMAHY MUST HAVE PEACE April 9.—" Alfien (Ambassador to Berlin) has come to Rome on leave. He does uot report anything especially important, but is less optimistic than usual . . On the other hand, the declarations made in the greatest confidence by Bismarck (Nazi Minister in Rome) arc most interesting.

" Germany must have peace by October, no matter how things go,

he said The army cannot, and will not, take the offensive at this time. . It has had its spinal column broken by the removal of its best military leaders. There is consternation in the party.

April 14.—" The Japanese have proposed a tripartite declaration of independence for India and Arabia. First reactions in Berlin are unfavourable. The Japanese move toward Europe is unwelcome. Mussolini, on the other hand, would like to support the Japanese immediately."

' The trip didn't arouse much interest in Italy. . . . Everyone expected Hitler would announce an offensive against the Russians. Instead, he started one against the German people (total mobilisation, so-called)."

[The next chapter reveals Mussolini in fine frenzy, because after all his preparations for a triumph in Cairo, Rommel is stopped and turned at El Alamein. II Duce returns from Africa to Rome in towering rage. The Axis receives advance advice of the Allied intention to open a second front in Europe.]

April 11.—" Mussolini visits the Society of the Friends of Japan. More and more he likes to refer to himself as ' the first friend of Japan in the world.' . . . De Peppo (Ambassador to Turkey) says the Turkish ideal is that the iast German soldier should fall on the last Russian corpse." April 13 —" Long conversation with Donna Edvige (II Duee's sister). . . .

She wanted to relieve her heart on a •matter which has now become a national question: The Petacci family. . . . She has made up her mind to talk to. II Duce about it."

April 21.—" Eismarok says the Nazi Consul-General in Milan receives many offensive letters. The last one ran like this: 'We hear you are looking for a new residence. We offer you one which is very beautiful, and worthy of you, of your people, and of your leader. The address is such and such.' The Consul went punctually to the address, and found himself at the doors of the gaol."

April 22. —“ II Duce informs me .that Marshal Kesselring, on his return from Germany, brought Hitler’s approval for the landing operation against Malta.” (The invasion never came off.) April 24.—“ The Japanese military attache vented his criticism violently of the German attitude and their \vav of waging war. German political warfare is all wrong, according to the Japanese. ...” ' UNEASY SPECULATION April 29.—“ Arrival at Salzburg. . . Hitler, Ribbentrop. the usual people, the usual ceremony. We are housed at the Klessheini castle. . . . It is very luxurious: Furniture, hangings, carpets, all stuff which comes from France. They should not have paid too much for it i- • . " Hitler looks tired, is determined, and talkative. ... The winter months in Russia have borne heavily upon him. I see for the first time that he has many grey hairs. ... “ What does the future hold? Ilibbeutrop is less explicit. Offensive against the Itussians in the south, with the oil wells as political-military objectives. When Russia’s sources of oil are exhausted, her knees will bend. Then the British Conservatives (and why not Churchill himself, who is a sensible man) will bow to save what remains of their mauled Empire. . . “ What if the British, who are stubborn, choose to continue? Airplanes and submarines, says Ribbentrop. We go back to the 1940 formula. But it didn’t give results then, and was discarded. Now they pull it out again. . . “ America is a big bluff. This slogan is repeated by everyone, large and small, in the chambers and ante-chambers. It’s my belief that the thought of what the Americans can and will do disturbs them all. The Germans close their eyes in order not to see. . . .

" For France, they feel more diffidence than friendship. Laval is unconvincing. The true spirit of the French is expressed more clearly by the typesetter who risked his life so the paper appeared with the name of Petain changed to Pntain (street-walker) "INNOCENT PRUSSIANS" BOMBED " Losses in Russia are heavy liibbontrop says 275.000'dead. Our General Marras (military attache iii hraises it to 700.000. With amputations, frost-bite, and the seriously ill who won't recover by the end of the. war. the figure rises to 3,000.000. " British aviation is hittintj hard. Rostock and Lubeck literally have been razed. Cologne has been hit heavily. The Germans strike back, but with less violence. It only partly consoles the German population, which is accustomed always to give it, and never to tske it back It leads many of them, who have devastated half of Europe, to weep about Ihe ' brutality of the Rritish, who are making innocent Prussian families homeless.' The ssrious thing is that they mean it.

" Well, it's no good blaming the sisters or matron." said the E.N. and T bloke " They're just cogs in the hosr-'tal wheel."

The junior physician, winding up the conversation, said. " I raised sister's eyebrows by telling her that bathing a patient ovc-y day wasn't necessarily important in saving his life."

tweon life and death to be wakened at 4 n.m to have a bath which isn't a matter of lift-—mid bath."

" I thought they'd stopped all that these days." said the E.N. and T. bloke.

"So did I." said tho physician savagely. " and we're both wrong. The night nurses have to do tho big wash of the patients Obviously they have to start earlv enough to finish before they eo off duty."

" Well, it's time that particular wheel was puntured ancl we got a new one," said the junior physician. " I've just given orders which can be passed on to the hopital board, or anyone you like, that I'm not going to have pneumonia patients wakened to be washed, not only before dawn but at anv other time." " Attabov," said the E.N. and T. bloke " A.jax defies the lightning." Staffing, of course, is the main factor in this old. argument. What is needed is sufficient staff to wash patients at the patients' convenience.

Wednesday, October 17.

" On the revolting indecency of this there is no need to dwell, and it calls for legislative restrictions of the severest kind. Perhaps the best thing would be for ail civilised nations to combine to burn all works on the Rontgen rays, to execute the discoverers," etc., etc.

" Whacko," said tho irrepressible J E.N. and T. bloke. " Our hospital | motto—' Better be dirty and alive than clean and dead.' "

I get many inquiries these days' 1 as to whether this country is likely to bo affected by the various epidemics sweeping war-torn countries at the moment. My answer is No.

The inquiries are particularly about typhus and typhoid, whether they are practically the same disease, and so on. They are quite different diseases, the only resemblance being in the name. Ordinary typhus is a mite or louseborne disease, prevalent in Europe, especially where people are herded together in conditions which don't give much chance of public hygiene and personal cleanliness. Typhoid is caused by an. organism likely to cause epidemics where drainage is defective. It is killed if submitted to the temperature of boiling water for three minutes. Again, if people are crowded together with bad sanitation, typhoid is likely to develop. Protection against typhoid can he secured by inoculation. Thursday, October 18. These were among the patients I dealt with to-day : Flora Dougall, who dropped an iron on her foot this morning. Sent o(f to the X-ray rorfm to see if n, bone had been fractured. Middle-aged Joseph Norman, who complained of indigestion over a iong period; sent to have his stomach X-rayed. Four-year-old Harold • Barnes, who swallowed a safety pill ; taken to the X-ray room to find out where it was and whether it was open or shut Elizabeth Wright, in her early'twenties, who complained of chronic tiredness, loss of appetite, night sweats, and loss of weight; sent to have her lungs X-rayed. This is an important anniversary year ifor X-ray, for its discoverer, Rontgen, was born in 1845. and discovered the X-ray when 50 years of age. While tho discovery was more or less accidental, it was Pasteur who said: "Chance only favours those who are prepared."

The invention shook the world almost as much as that of the atomic bomb. A London evening paper saying that. we now appeared actually to he able to see other people's bones with the naked eye, added :

New Jersey, within two months of tho announcement of the discovery, passed a Bill prohibiting " the use of X-rays in opera glasses." A Loudon firm advertised the. sale " of X-ray-proof underclothes." Friday, October 19.

Words of wisdom about human beings, from this week's reading:— Unforgivable: " We can forgive those who bore us, but we can never fntgive those whom we bore."

Peculiar people : " There arc certain earnest people who, like Cato the Censor (in ancient Rome), ask for ,no reward except the privilege of interfering with the private lives of citizens " Assisting longevity: "The life records of 2,000 people who lived 90 years or longer were recently studied, and it was found that, besides heredity, the only outstanding trait found in these people was that the vast majority wer(of placid temperament and not given to worry." Biting comment: "The bite of a human is considered more fTangerons than that of anv other animal, except that of a rabid dog." Names in this Diary fictitious. (Copyright.)