Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-06
An Italian Diplomat in Exile

the people and add to the responsible
ties OF the government of Belgrade.
This Is far-seeing craftsmanship, and
one can understand Count Sforza'S i'm
patience with the short-sightedneSs of
MuSsolini's substitute for 1t in the inter-
ference in Albania, in diplomatic CO.
| quetry with Greece and Bulgaria,
which has not been followed through,
In the hollow assurances of military
missions to Rumania. and, above all in
the effort to tie in with the reactionary
| elements In Hungary. The foreign pol
| icy OF Mussolini in the Near East is
| the exact antitheSes of that followed by
Count Sforza and has been clearly de-
| Scr1bed by him in his subsequent writ
ings. One does not have to wait for
history to form a judgment of their
relative wisdom.
The years 1920-21, when Count
Sforza was foreign minister of Italy.
were those in which the nations of Eu-
rope had to mt themselves within the
mold OF the peace treaties and find q
way to live with each other afterward
The Giolitti and Sforza cabinet played
an important role in the direction of
these affairs. Count SforZa saw clearly
that the only policy for Italy to follow
and for that matter, the only policy for
dS nCl-ldy III u TecORQ1s
ton OF the erection of the new states
IN succession to the Hapsburg mon
archy, and Of Poland on the eastern
fringe OF Germany. In contrast with
MusSolinis policy of batting the little
entente, he supported 1t loyalty. Know
ing as he did from intimate personal
acquaintance the nature of the Haps-
burg court, he stood out against any
thought. OF restoration and proposed
an ant1-Hapsburg convention to the
JugoSlav government, which effectively
checked any possible movement In Hun
gary.
Describes Events ConciseIy.
Count Sforza has described these
in his volume, Diplomatic Europe
Since the Treaty of Versailles" which
was published recently by the Yale
University Press. The Hapsburg policy
of divide and rule" was, as he indi-
Gates, at bottom a motto of European
anarchy; and, as foreign minister of
Italy, he threw all his weight against
the revival of any such influence in the
heart of Europe.
In the Balkans, in his policy with the
little entente and in his dealings with
the League of Nations, Count Sforza
was always on the side of Cancellation
and consolidation. 1t was but a step
from these to the open advocacy of
European federation. It was not to be
an idle, Elusive dream, but a reality
that could only be achieved at the hard
cost of mutual concessions. He regard
ed a Franco-German Cancellation as
European necessity, but In order not to
compromise it he was opposed to taking
steps too rapidly; fair and proper
judgment in 1921.
Convinced as he was that the League
of Nations was henceforth an essential
element in international affairs, he was
opposed to it risking itself in the early
years on enterprises too bold for its
young strength. Beneath the diplo-
matte and judicial constructions of
statesmen, he held that the funda:
mental thing was, after all, the mental
and moral life of the people themselves.
because in it lay the clew to those in
stinctive actions which carry history
along in times of crisis
After his tenure of Office as minister
of foreign affairs. Count Sforza became
Ambassador of Italy in Paris. and held
that post until Mussolini's fateful
march on Rome in the Autumn OF
1922. Sforza Immediately sent in his
resignation in a telegram which was
given publicity and was widely COM
mented upon. In it Sforza, with his &C
criticized the situation that had arisen
with the advent of FaScism and refused
to have anything to do with govern
ment so foreign to his political concep-
tions In Mussolini's Memoirs" pub
ished in 1928, there is reference to this
incident. which shows how deeply Mus
solini was stung by Sforza's action.
Nevertheless, in spite Of the vivacity Of
Sforza's formula of resignation. Musso-
lini telegraphed him again, asking him
to withdraw it. but Sforza replied SIM
ply that he did not believe in the sue
cess of relationships.
Count Refuses Office.
Returning to Rome then, Sforza di-
rected, along with Albertini. who had
been disposed of the Corriere de da
Sers. the opposition to FaScism IN the
Italian Senate. For several months
Mussolini continued to offer the count
this Office and that. but he always re-
fused, and then came the assassination
of Matteotti. and SforZa was the only
one who had the courage then and
there to declare that 1t was necessary
to overthrow by force a government
which had installed itself by violence.
His democratic colleagues. and even the
Socialists themselves. looked rather to
the slow destruction of FasciSm.
Then Sforza founded, with Amendoia,
who was killed two years afterward by
the Fascists. the National Democratic
Union. at the first congress Of which
he was proclaimed president. He was
attacked by Fascist band and suffered
grave bodily injuries. In october, 1925,
his country house was burned by the
Fascists and the courts were prevented
from taking steps against the incen-
diaries. Since then Count Sforza has
been practically in exile-an exile
which. however has been busily spent
In writing and in lecturing both in Eu-
rome and In America. Fortunately, he
is able to supply the philosophy Of his
tory which he processes to his own life
as much as he applies that philosophy
to politics. and In no place has this
been more apparent than In those stud
les Of the great characters of modern