ITALIAN ENVOY IN BERLIN

Southland Times, Issue 24114, 1 May 1940, Page 7

ITALIAN ENVOY IN BERLIN

PRO-NAZI DIPLOMAT APPOINTED

DR LEY REFERS TO FASCIST SUPPORT

ALLIES REFERRED TO AS COMMON ENEMY

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright)

ROME, April 29. Signor Dino Alfieri, the Italian Ambassador to the Vatican, has been appointed Ambassador to Berlin. He is considered strongly pro-German. Signor Bernardo Attolico, Ambassador in Berlin, will replace Signor Alfieri as Ambassador to the Holy See.

Dr Robert Ley, Leader of the Nazi Labour Front, broadcasting from Berlin, said: “We shall destroy the British Navy. The British are plutocrats who know only one god—the money bag. Every German working man is worth more than an English lord. Italy and Germany have one common enemy— London, which means Britain and France.” A British Official Wireless message says that a very* friendly discussion took place when the Italian Ambassador in London, Signor Giuseppe Bastianini, called on the Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax, on Friday. The main object of the discussion was to consider the resumption of economic negotiations between the two countries. It is hoped that later officials will be sent to Rome to continue the negotiations suspended last February. It is impossible to divorce the question of contraband from any war-time discussions dealing with trade between belligerent and non-belligerent countries, but Britain is anxious to meet any point of difficulty which Italy can reasonably bring to her notice. Half the miners in Britain who were unemployed at the outbreak of the war are now at work as a result of the Government’s drive to increase the peace output of 240,000,000 tons yearly by 40,000,000 tons. ■ The chairman of the Coal Production Council, Lord Portal, is touring the British coal fields to speed up production to meet the

enormous world demand created by the blockade of German exports, which were 24,000,000 tons in the year before the war. Poland also was then exporting 14,000,000 tons. The British Navy has cut off half these quantities. France, Italy, South American countries and overseas bunkering stations are seeking supplies and inquiries are also coming from Canada, Portugal, Greece, Egypt and Algeria. Italy lost 2,000,000 tons of German coal when the Rotterdam shipments ceased. She is now second only to France in buying from South Wales and it is believed that she would take more if it were available. BRITISH PROTEST TO SWEDEN LEGATION’S NEWS SHEET SUPPRESSED (Received April 30, 9.5 p.m.) STOCKHOLM, April 29. The British Minister, Mi - V. A. L. Mallet, visited the Swedish Foreign Minister (hi. Christian Guenther) and protested against the suppression of the Legation’s news sheet. Mr Mallet also inquired what action had been taken to control the German Legation’s similar publication.