BASELESS STORY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 63, 12 February 1936, Page 7

BASELESS STORY

IN ITALIAN PRESS. BRITISH HELP IN WAR. ENGLAND THE SCAPEGOAT. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received ,February 12, 9.55 a.m. LONDON, Feb. 11. Though only yesterday Mr It. A. Eden (Foreign Secretary), in the House of Commons, disclosed official steps to ’ refute an Italian broadcast story that most of lias Desta’s troops in the battle on January 17 were commanded by Britisli officers, messages from Rome indicate that the morning papers continue to make England the scapegoat for the war, with the announcement centred on the main pages: “The Negus’s military adviser is an Englishman, Colonel Holt. All the Abyssinians’ ammunition comes from England.” The worst feature of this baseless propaganda, which is described in London as ludicrous, lies m the fact that the announcement is placed alongside tlie largest list of casualties the Italians have yet published. Lieutenant-Colonel H. B. Bolt, says a British Official Wireless message, is the senior British military attache in Addis Ababa. Like the United States and French military attaches, he has in the pursuit of his duties, proceeded to Dessie in order to keep in touch with the progress of events. There is not the slightest ground for the suggestion that he is advising the Emperor.

ITALIANS BEATEN. STRUGGLE IN OGADEN. CURAT V T ON BACK. Reecived February 12, 12.40 p.m. ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 11. It is announced that, despite the silence of the Rome communiques, Ab.vssinians under Ras Nasibu and Wehib Pasha, after heavy fighting, expelled the Italians from Curat, fifty miles south-east of Sasa Baneh, in Ogaden, as the result of a surprise attack. Severe losses were suffered by both sides.

The Times Addis Ababa correspondent confirms the capture of Curat, which commands important water supplies, by 200 Abyssinians after a hand-to-hand struggle in barbed wire.

EMBARGO ON OIL. FINDING BY COMMITTEE. ITALIAN STOCKS. Received February 12, 9.55 a.m. GENEVA, Feb. 11. The oil committee estimates that Italy’s oil stocks are sufficient for only 2} months. As America furnished only 6 per cent, of Italy’s imports in 1931-4 they consider that more restriction of the United States supplies would suffice to enable the League to impose an effective embargo. The report, it is anticipated, will be transmitted to the Governments. At Geneva March 2 is mentioned as a possible date for the assembly of the Committee of Eighteen to consider the report. ROME AND BERLIN. AN AGREEMENT PREDICTED. IMMINENT DANGER, LONDON, Feb. 11. The possibility of an understanding between Italy and Germany continues to be discussed. The Daily Mail’s Paris correspondent emphasises that it is growing clearer daily that Signor Mussolini may be forced by the League’s continued hostility to declare that Italy will no longer guarantee the Locarno Treaty, thus enabling Germany to claim that the whole treaty has lapsed. M. Flandin realises the danger, but is still hopeful that he can manoeuvre to maintain the vital link with London without estranging Rome. He is also apparently optimistic of some early acceptable settlement between Italy and Abyssinia enabling a speedy re-establishment of the Wtresa front. If tKis is not done there are many who believe that tlie next move will be some working agreement between Rome and Berlin.

The Daily Mail’s Rome correspondent says it is officially denied that Italy is negotiating for an understanding with Germany, and it cannot be doubted that Italy would prefer to keep the Stresa front in existence if possible. Nevertheless, it is asserted that Italy cannot indefinitely keep up even an appearance of friendship with nations doing their utmost to prevent the successful solution of the conflict between Italy and Abyssinia. Italians consider that they have been betrayed, and this feeling will probably continue to rankle long after the East African campaign is finished. Interruption of Italian trade with England and France has already intensified commercial relations with Germany, and commercial relations are often the forerunner of close political relations. It is declared that the day may not be far distant when Italy is obliged to adopt an official policy more in keeping with the realities of the present situation.

AUSTRIA’S CONCERN. ASSURANCE OF SECURITY. LONDON, Feb. 10. Discussing the future of Central Europe, Prince Starhemberg (ViceChancellor of Austria), in an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph’s diplomatic correspondent, said that his most serious concern was that the weakening of Italy by the Abyssinian war might disturb "the balance of power in Europe. He still feels that the Italian army constitutes the .only substantial force to which Austria could look for succour in case of a German attempt to overrun her. “Austria to-day,” he said, “is content with her present borders. Her people ask only for security against aggression. Our need is for increased confidence among the Danubian peoples so that we may approach the ideal of a United States of Central Europe. “It is for this reason,” he said, “that we resist the Nazi theory of ‘One race, one fatherland.’ Tlia.t policy would lead to two opposing camps, Pan-Germanism versus Pan-Slavism, and result in the destruction of Europe.” Prince Starhemberg denied that the youth of Austria was stronglv proNazi, and said that the young and the older people realised that an Austrian could be a good German without being a Nazi. It was only the section between the ages of 26 and 35 who had Nazi sympathies. They acquired those views during the years when the newly-founded Austrian Republic was unable to supply all their wants.