LIES THAT NEARLY RUINED ITALY

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11418, 22 December 1917, Page 7

LIES THAT NEARLY RUINED ITALY

Leaflets were disseminated among the Italian troops by means of. special propaganda bombs, or dropped from aeroplanes. Some of them ran as follow : Italian soldiers: At the request of the Italian Government, English and French soldiers at Milan and at Turin have been tiring for two days with machine guns upon old Italian soldiers who, when called up/ refused to go to the front, as well as upon the people who took their part. Countless killed and wounded. There are now in Italy 14,000 English troops, and their number grows daily, because they are used as policemen. They occupy your ports and railways, they have seized your trade and swagger as masters in yonr cities, killing pitilessly those who ask for bread and peace. At Milan, Turin, Sail Remo, Oivita, Vecchia, Florence, and Genoa there have been great demonstrations by the people, who are tired of war and demand immediate peace. Consequently English and French troops, which were in readiness, were called out. end with cannon and machine guns, they perpetrated a reel and horrible massacre among the demonstrators > nd among the Italian troops themselves. There were 500 killed, thous nds of wounded, and among them also Italian officers, w’omen, and children Your Government Inis been bought bv English gold. Therefore, it is deaf to the cries of the people; and instead ox giving you peace, you Ministers pl-me the independence of your fatherland little by little in the power of the English monster. Agree w+th us quickly, and know that, though we will not yield an inch of shore or sea we are always ready honestly to divide with you dominion of the -*driatic. Thus you will be the free masters of a free sea. Otherwise, good bye to the Adriatic, good bye to your navigation and commerce. You will inevitably disappear down the throat of the insatiable English lion, like the Russians. If you do not decide to stop the scandalous British fury, y r ou will share the sad end of your Russian allies, whom the unbreakable British yoke still prevents from concluding an honourable peace.