PEACE OVERTURES

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 22093, 17 July 1943, Page 5

PEACE OVERTURES

ITALY TIRED OF WAR j SEEKING A WAY OUT j MUSSOLINI’S DUPLICITY j ; (IJnf'o'l Prpss \=«n. -r-.'c. --i ronvrlßrht) (Received July 17. 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 16 1 While the Allied radio was ham- | mering home the joint Churchill- : Roosevelt mesage to the Italian people it has been revealed in London j that in recent months Fascist diplomats have tried hard to find a way , out of the war which at the same time j would save the face of Mussolini and j the Fascist regime. i The British Broadcasting Corpora- I tion, New York and Algiers radios ! broadcast a joint message at frequent intervals. The Algiers radio read a statement in Italian, French, English and German on two wave-lengths. . I The announcer invited listeners to I spread the news that the message would be re-read in every broadcast j all day. . I The Evening Standard’s diplomatic ; correspondent sav§ it can be revealed that Mussolini offered his “help” to get Italy out of the war. He made special approaches to Washington but i they were turned down. Mussolini’s idea of n. eace terms was very “con- I ditional” and did not correspond in \ ■ any wav with the Casablanca de- i ! claration of unconditional surrender. 1 j Allies Insist on Surrender i Washington and London made it j clear that nothing short of a clean i j sweep as far as the regime was con- 1 j cerned would satisfy them. Mr | | Roosevelt, hov/ever, assured the Pope i | that the rights of the Catholic Church ! i would be respected and protected. j This situation drove Mussolini back on to a fake “fight to a finish” attitude, I which does not correspond with the i feelings of the bulk of the Italian people. Behind the screen of bluster | it is expected that a further attempt i will be made—between the time of i the occupation of Sicily and the 1 forthcoming attack against Italy ! proper. j ] Thes peace manoeuvres will be re- ! ■ jected unless they amount to uncon- \ ditional surrender. The Allies do not • ! intend to permit any Fascist diplo- I matic gymnastics, aimed at preserv- | j ing the regime or retaining territory I taken from their neighbours.