MUSSOLINI’S AIMS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 25, Issue 3766, 8 June 1936, Page 6

MUSSOLINI’S AIMS

CONTROL OF MEDITERRANEAN. ASPIRATIONS IN PALESTINE. OPINONS OF DR. C. J. ROLLS. “In 1932 Italy signed a 20-years’ pact of non-aggression and friendship with Abyssinia; not four years later she broke it. Mussolini never intended it to be fulfilled, so there is no use listening to what he has to say now. These remarks were made to a Daily Times reporter by Mr. C. J. Rolls, home director for Australia and New Zealand of the Sudan Interior Mission, who has just completed a six months’ survey of Abyssinia and a 12 months' tour of Palestine. He is at present in Dunedin for the purpose of delivering a series of lectures under the auspices of the Evangelical Bible League of Otago. “I am of the opinion,” he said, “that Mussolini’s statement that he has no designs on Egypt has very little truth in it. Last July an Italian aeroplane with a general on board, came down in the desert, and in the plane there was found an anticipated plan of a three-point attack on Egypt. That was why Great Britain sent her fleet to the Mediterranean. In December Italy said that if Britain did, not withdraw the ships within 24 hours it would be regarded as a militaristic act, but the reply had been given that unless the Italian troops on the Libyan frontier were removed no effort would be made to withdraw the fleet.” Mussolini had now obtained control of the main source of the waters of the Nile, continued Dr. Rolls, and Britain was only making a heavier rod for her back by allowing him to get away with all his acts of aggression. Italy was of the opinion that Britain’s prestige was crumbling, and she was out to gain all the spoils she could. “I feel sure, however, that when Mussolini makes his northern move —he has in mind oil concessions in Iraq—he will meet his Waterloo.” Dr. Rolls said that II Duce was aiming at the control of the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea in order to command the Suez Canal, and he also wanted to gain control of Palestine and its rich oil resources. He was of the opinion that the Jewish unrest in Palestine at the present time was due to Italian influence, and the difficulty was that the country had received the sanction of the Vatican for the war on Ethiopia on the pretext that it “was not a war of aggression but a conflict for the expansion of territory upon which to settle Italian people, and because a pagan nation would be ccmquered and converted to the faith.’’ This was going to lead to terrible trouble later on. “The Emperor of Abyssinia did not violate a single international principle, in order to leave open a case upon which the League of Nations could act,” said Dr. Rolls, “but in spite of that no action was taken to save the last coloured Empire of the world. General Smuts has truly said that ‘the repercussions of this war are going to make administration difficult throughout Africa.”’ Two years ago Mussolini had tried to get a footing on the shores of Palestine, when the Yemen had fought against the Wahabi, but Ibn Saud had defeated the Yemen, and had annexed their territory, and the Italian aim had been defeated. Three weeks before that Mussolini had said he would soon have territory in Asia Minor. He was now going to consolidate his southern position; he was recruiting the young Abyssinians; and he would soon be able to equip a substantial army; and his design would then be to obtain a share of oil in Iraq. That was why Britain, Russia, and Switzerland had consented to Turkey refortifying the Dardanelles. “And I may say,” said Dr. Rolls, “that if Britain did not have Palestine her hopes in the Mediterranean would be all gone—Malta and Gibraltar, in the light of modern aerial warfare, are useless.” The whole outlook was a particularly gloomy one, according to Dr. Rolls. The Abyssinian conflict had been the worst thing, in the racial problem for many years; Germany was just waiting, having promised not to interfere with Austria while Italy was engaged with Abyssinia; Britain, because of her depleted defence forces, was not in a position to say “No” when Italy commenced her acts of aggression. There was, however, the knowledge that Britain had been warned to prepare for trouble—trouble which, it would seem, was not far off. “And nobody can realise how terrible the next war will be,” added Dr. Rolls. If the civilised world was prepared to stand by and allow such acts of aggression as Italy had committed, then he saw the end of civilisation.

“All the countries,” he concluded, “are just trying to gain a little more time for a little more preparation.”