The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1940 Whither Italy?

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21648, 8 May 1940, Page 6

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1940 Whither Italy?

GROWING tension in the Mediterranean and south eastern Europe may now be attributed with a degree of certitude to the recent evident hardening of the official Fascist attitude towards the Allies. Statements made by responsible Italian spokesmen within the past fortnight show the trend of Fascist thought. Count Grandi, the Minister of Justice, and former Italian Ambassador in London, said to the Chamber of Fascists on April 27: “Italy cannot stand outside this conflict. The Italian people have a definite consciousness of their responsibilities and duties. We are behind II Duce whatever decision he may make.” On April 28, Signor Ansaldo, a director of the newspaper II Telegrafo, said: “Germany now has 80,000 troops in Norway. We soldiers of Italy, while doing full justice and honour to the Allied soldiers, hope and trust that the Germans will win.” Then he went on: “Signor Mussolini and Count Grandi, in speeches to the Chamber, confirmed that Italy cannot remain indefinitely out of the conflict. We, therefore, are waiting for orders and are ready.” It was reported on April 26 that General Francisco Giunta, of the Fascist miiltia, was applauded in the Chamber when he predicted that the war will become a war of the peoples against the world’s wrongful property holders. England’s traditional friendship for Italy was refuted by history and fact. He asked why Italy should not settle the problem of Mediterranean security which the British fleet compromised. It should be recalled also that the Giornale d'ltalia, made uncompromising comment on a speech by the Prime Minister of Australia in which he referred to Italy as a neutral. “Mr Menzies must bring his ideas up-to-date,” said the paper.. “Italy is not a neutral. She is allied to Germany. She has her own interests to defend and is reconstructed to defend them vigorously. Italy is determined to fight for her liberty in the Mediterranean.”

In none of those statements is there any sign of the impartiality which should be expected from a neutral. The Fascist attitude, as recently revealed, is one of uneasy non belligerency, supported by threats that a change to belligerency is not out of the question. The thorn was put into Fascist flesh by the Allies in March when the British navy seized 13 Italian ships bound from Germany with supplies of coal. It was an attempt to break the blockade and it failed. Coal is a commodity Italy requires more than any other, and although expensive attempts have been made to increase domestic production it is still necessary to import more than 90 per cent, of Italian coal requirements. Much of this had come from Germany by sea until the intervention of the British Navy. However, Italy was not to be left without coal. Britain offered a substitute supply, but the condition was that payment should be made in war materials. The sending of war materials abroad, however, does not suit Italy, for Count Ciano has admitted that intensive preparation is necessary to make up for the exhausting military enterprises in which Italy was engaged, first in Abyssinia and later in Spain. Anger at being involved in this dilemma probably accounts for the new Fascist policy. Lacking coal Italy cannot carry on her heavy industries, but having it she must hand over portion of her manufactures to the Allies.

The Domestic Situation While the Fascists may be ready for war, and anxious to enter the conflict, there are domestic factors at work which Signor Mussolini cannot ignore. The Pope is on the side of peace and he has expressed his disapproval of the most brutal manifestations of the Nazi spirit. An American newspaper representative who accompanied Mr Sumner Welles on his recent tour of Europe answered the question of whether Signor Mussolini would lead Italy into war in this way: “The impression in Rome is that he himself is still undecided. Mussolini must be very sure of himself before he takes any drastic action these days. He cannot act inconsiderately and alone —not any more. The army, the Vatican, the Royal family, even public opinion, all have to be reckoned with in Italy today. This new restraining factor may quite possibly prove to be a vital element in the development of the situation.” This comment is unmistakably supported in the latest report that the Italian Crown Prince and Princess (a sister of the King of Belgium) have visited the Vatican, the inference being that the interview with the Pope was to strengthen the Papal effort to preserve peace in the Mediterranean. It is further reported that the Crown Prince subsequently visited Signor Mussolini, an official announcement declaring that they discussed war preparedness. With Royalty acting as an emissary between the Vatican and 11 Duce, it is reasonable to suppose that currents are running through Italy in various directions. The people should not be eager for war. Signor Mussolini, after all, has given them their fill of that in the last five years. The people of Italy would want to be assured of a quick victory and reasonable returns for sacrifices before they willingly entered yet another war. It is most improbable, therefore, that they would regard Italian championship of Germany’s cause as a sufficient reason for war. If the Fascists want the country to fight they must persuade the people that vital Italian interests are at stake, but this may not be easy to do. Even if the Rome-Berlin axis were able to defeat the Allies the Italian position would not be greatly improved, for Europe is not large enough to hold two Caesars. It is probable, then, that the Fascist rumblings from Rome are formal assertions of power rather than real threats, but the possibility that they may be truly dangerous cannot be ruled out.