More Distortions of Truth

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 250, 23 October 1939, Page 7

More Distortions of Truth

REJECTION OF ITALIAN PEACE PROPOSALS (British Official Wireless.) Received Sunday, 9.20 p.m. RUGBY, Oct. 22. With curious persistence Nazi propagandists continue their efforts to represent that while tho British Government turned down the Italian proposals for a conference *>n the eve of the war tho French Goverftment was ready to accept them. This story, so inherently improb?)ble in view of the intimate contact maintained between the Governments in Paris and London throughout the crisis provoked by Hitler, has been shown on several occasions to have nothing to support it but the confusion of dates in the Havas Tress Agency communique. Drawn up on September 1 before tbe receipt of the Italian proposals on September 2 this communique had reference to an earlier suggestion of tho Italian Government made on August 31 before the German invasion of Poland and recorded an affirmative French

reply. The second Italian initiative I was, of course, doomed to failure by the Nazi action. It is interesting to note, however, that this was at the time the British Ambassador to Berlin was in receipt of instructions from his Government although the Nazis still pretended not to understand it. In his final report made public on Tuesday Sir Nevile Henderson records how on September 2 the Italian Government was making one more effort to save the situation. The Italian Ambassador called on him and he mentioned in the course of the conversation that he understood the Italian Government had put forward a suggestion for the cessation of hostilities and a conference. “In this connection I said I felt bound to express the opipion that such a proposal would never be entertained unless at the same time alt German troops were withdrawn from Polish ter^itory. ,,