ITALY STIRRING UP BAD BLOOD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18581, 2 October 1928, Page 4

ITALY STIRRING UP BAD BLOOD.

TRYING TO AROUSE ENMITY BETWEEN U.S., FRANCE AND BRITAIN. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON. October 1. The Rome correspondent of “The Times” states that, in consequence of the Government’s displeasure at having been, as it thinks, left out in. the cold during the negotiations, and also owing to its real disagreement with the terms, there is great satisfaction at the American Note. The view is that the compromise only demonstrates how completely bankrupt is the Anglo-French policy of pacification. “These comments,” says the correspondent, “are plainly dictated by a desire to stir up bad blood between England, the United States and France.” Italian journalists in London trnflatteringlv criticise Anglo-French diplomacy. One recalls a conversation in 1902 with a naval officer, who said that war with Germany was inevitable. The journalist says that England now similarly aims at war with the United States, declaring that the compromise represents the opening of hostilities.— Times Cables.

PRO-FRENCH POLICY MUST BE REVERSED. LONDON, October 1. The “ Daily Express ” states that the American Note offers Britain a renewed conference upon naval armaments. At this point British public opinion will step in and insist that a new direction be given naval and foreign policy which will secure the safety and freedom of the Atlantic for British and American commerce. This involves the abandonment of the alternative method of entanglement in Europe. The pro-French policy has to be reversed.—Australian Press Association. NEXT STEP IS TO PUBLISH THE TEXT OF THE COMPROMISE. PARIS, September 30. The newspaper “Le Temps” says:—“The next step must be publication o*. the text of the Anglo-French naval compromise, which wrtl prove to the world the sincerity of the Anglo-French disarmament effort. The American Press campaign against the compromise must have affected Washington, whose Note makes the negotiations more difficult, bringing back the subject to the point where the Geneva naval breakdown left it.”—Australian Press Association. U.S. NOTE INVOLVES POLITICAL ISSUES.

LONDON, September 30. The diplomatic correspondent of the “F Telegraph” says: “Apart from t*. al considerations, the American involves important political issues, for instance, whether future negotiations with the United States can be conducted jointly by Britain and France. Official circles are of opinion that the British concession to France with respect to reserves and the computation of military strengths must stand, regardless of the agreement, which is self-contained, as it is generally assumed that Britain would not be at liberty to revert to the standpoint of the Washington Conference in favour of the total abolition of the submarine. In practice this change of front may be most difficult, though it would be a pity if Britain were unable to join the United States in an endeavour to reach this goal, equally from the standpoint of humanity’s and, national and imperial interests. —Australian Press Association.