ON DEFENSIVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23818, 20 November 1940, Page 10

ON DEFENSIVE

DUCE'S BLUSTERING ITALY'S WAR EFFORT PUZZLES FOR POPULACE By Telepraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received November I!), .">.."1 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Nov. 3 8 Observers in London detect in Mussolini's speech indications that the Duce is on the defensive —an unaccustomed note in the discourses he loves addressing to the veildrilled Fascist crowds. Jt was the fifth anniversary of the adoption by the League of Nations ol the programme of economic sanctions designed to assist Abyssinia's resistance to unprovoked aggression by Italy in defiance of her obligations under the League Covenant and the Pact ol Paris. The fact that the growing threat of a secretly calculated and planned appeal to force by the Nazis under the cloak of Hitler's peaceful professions had subjected the League's untried security system to such stresses and strains that in its first hour of trial it proved impossible to rally the collective will of the States to make it effective—this Mussolini chose once again to describe and celebrate as a Fascist "victory over 52 nations." Grave Miscalculation Here he was on sure ground which the Fascist propaganda has made comfortably familiar to the Italian people, but as he passed to Italy's entry into Hitler's war 011 what has proved to be a miscalculation, that- sacrifices bv the Italians would be slight and quickly and handsomely recompensed by a share in the victor's booty, his blustering falsification of the historic record of Britain's strenuous efforts to safeguard peace betrayed anxiety which became more evident as he reached Italy's own campaigns. The Duce seemed to be searching for some way of counteracting the impression growing among neutrals, and prevalent even in Italy, that for the time being something has gone wrong with the Italian war effort. Empty Claims In spite of Mussolini's boasts of having command of the Mediterranean, the Italian fleet has evaded engagements and waited behind its shore defences to be battered to pieces by British airmen. The much-advertised advance in the Western Desert has not been followed up, iu spite ot the estimated inferiority in material and numbers of the .defence. The incursions into the Sudan have proved abortive, and now the coldblooded attack upon a scrupulously neutral -neighbour. Greece, has been halted and the heroic defenders of a small and relatively weak State have act ually forced back the invaders. It is not surprising if all this has created some uneasiness in Italy itself, and the Duce's denunciation of pacifism and his call for renewed vigour 011 the part of the Fascist Party is interesting. • Italy's Naval "Successes" It is certainly felt to be significant that he found it necessary to insist at such length on the reliability of Italian communiques. Italians may have been getting puzzled by claims such as that in a recent official statement in Rome on the naval position, that the Italian Forces have sunk more British battleships than in fact Britain is known to have in the Mediterranean.

There is some speculation in London as to whether the audience heard with entire relish the Duce's boasts of his knight-errantry toward his Axis friends in sending unsolicited Italian squadrons to take part in the German air war on Britain. It is more than likely that most Italians would prefer to do nothing unnecessarily to attract the attention of the .Royal Air Force, while more ardent Fascists may wonder why these aircraft could not be usefully employed against "enemy" objectives nearer home. NAZI ESPIONAGE ACTIVITY IN AMERICA COMMITTEE'S INVESTIGATIONS (Received November 19, 9.20 p.nt.) CHICAGO. Nov. 18 The chairman of the committee for investigating un-American ' activities, Mr. Martin Dies announced that the committee's agents had raided German jand Italian organisations in, various parts of the country, seeking records and membership lists. He added that ] ten Ttalian-Aniorican and GermanAmerican organisations had been subpoenaed to produce their complete membership, financial and publicity | records. Mr. Dies questioned several people, j including the .leaders of German organisations, and announced before the hearing opened 1 that "the sweeping activities by subversive organisations of an important foreign Power operating in America" would be revealed by a starwitness who was a former agent for that foreign Power. Ueinricli Peter Eassbender, who arrived from Los Angeles for questioning, told the press:—"l started as an agent of the Nazi Government in 1935 and worked in Spain and Belgium. Presently, 1 was sent to America and travelled on a German passport with a Tokio visa." Fassbeiidcr said lie had agreed to testify before the committee on the promise that he would not be extradited. Mr. Dies announced that Fassbender admitted that he had received cheques from the German Government varying from 100 to 200 dollars. He said Fassbender also admitted that he had photographs of industrial plants and the names of persons whom he connected with admitted industrial and military espionage.

AID FOR BRITAIN LIMITED STATES SUPPORT QUESTION OF SELF-DEFENCE NEW YORK. Nov. 18 The national commander of the American Legion, Mr. M. Warner, in a speech at Indianapolis, said: "We Americans must he prepared to do our fighting outside the United States, not for the salvation of any other country, l)iit for America. The United States should give all practicable aid to Britain and those aligned with her. This does not mean that we tihould send troops to Europe."