Evening star., 1931-11-14
VISIT BY GRAND|
SEEN LAVAL TEST
European Opinion Widely Di-
vergent on What May
Be Accomplished.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
tional balance of the Senate against
the President.
Whatever misunderstanding Of our
true position we're thus caused have
now passed. Today there Is not power
in the world but what is seeking our
goodwill and support Of its own par
ticular aims. The rest OF the world.
| therefore, will watch closely when ST.
gnor Grandi meets Mr. Stimson and
President Hoover next week.
Above all Signor Grandi's visit will
be viewed as a test of the real mean
ing of the recent Hoover-Laval talks,
regarding which there is much differ
ence Of opinion in Europe.
The famous freedom OF action,
writes the newspaper La Stampa OF
Turin, which President Hoover left to
M. Laval is really merely freedom TO
stand alone against the compact bloc
composed of Germany, the United
States, Italy and Great Britain"
But lie Journal de Geneve declares.
! IF the Italian foreign minister is going
to washington with the intention to
underscore French popularity over
! there, he will serve neither his country
nor Europe"
Germany, say today's headlines. will
wait to see the result of Sig. Grandis
trip to Washington before going fur
ther with France in the reparations
questions.
AS for the French Nationalists, who
form the strongest element in M.
Laval's ma iority, they are telling any
one who cares to listen to them that
II the United States, following Sig
| Grandrs visit, again tries to bring pres
sure on France to accept naval parity
] with italy that will prove NJ. Lavars
voyage to Washington as having ac-
complished absolutely nothing.
Sympathy and Aid Wanted.
What italy now wants from the
! United States seems to be exactly what
France wants. namely. our diplomatic
sympathy and aid. In return for this
! Italy apparently Is willing to act as
our agent.
It is believed everywhere IN Europe
| that Italy in proposing years arma-
ment holiday at the recent assembly Of
| the League of Nations already substi-
| tutcd for the United States this way,
in accordance with the agreement
i reached by Mr.. Stimson and Premier
Benito Mussolini in Rome last Summer.
The Italian position is thus explained
by the Rome correspondent Of the Lon
don Times:
THE persistence Of the world eco
nomic crisis and OF the political and
monetary difficulties of Great Britain
and Germany leave the Italians face
to face with the French. The struggle
for supremacy between the two coun-
tries Is so unequal in wealth and re-
sources that 1t cannot be envisaged
with equanimity by the Italians. Italy
has thus every interest to conciliate
American sympathies and TO deplore
the competition in armaments, whose
cost is already too high for her"
Water Power and Labor.
Italy, as all European statesmen
realize, Is a thickly populated country,
with plenty of water power and cheap
labor, but poor in natural resources
and in agriculture; surrounded on
three sides by the sea and shut OF
side by the Alps, and dependent upon
France or Germany for coal and iron
and upon Russia or Great Britain
for Oil. SAC Gf}v
1t feels itself entitled, however. by
its ancient history and its energies as
we'll as by the outstanding qualities Of
its people and the abilities Of Its lead
ers to more important place In the
world than 1t has recently occupied.
It aspires. in particular, to wider ter
ritories either on the continent or in
Africa, or both to the exclusive con-
troll of the Adriatic Sea and to partial
control, in cooperation with Great
Britain, OF the Mediterranean Sea.
In the World War 1t recovered from
the Austro-Hungarian Empire Trent
and Trieste. II has since seized Fiume
and Sas established a protectorate over
Albania. The country which today
blocks the path to its ambitions, which,
ever way 1t turns, is France-France.
which is Jugoslavia's ally and which
holds Savoy, Corsica and mosNof North
Africa.
Italy's problem, therefore, is mainly
how best to undermine Frances power
and increase its own. 1t began by try.
ing to obtain colonial and naval con-
cessions from France by direct negoti-
alton. Then 1t set about organizing
! counterweight in the form Of an Italian
system Of alliances. For time 1t sue
ceeded. Hungary, Bulgaria. Greece and
Turkey became interested, but Austria
and Rumania were hesitant.
To- economic crisis and the power Of
French gold, however, brought Rumania
back into the French fold and even
tempted Hungary and Austria. Stimuli
taneously with all this italy thought 1t
saw an anti-French bloc of great pow
ers In formation, and acted by private
diplomatic overtures to Germany and
by public declarations in favor OF treaty
revision.
BY treaty revision italy naturally does
not mean that it is ready to return the
Austrian Tyrol to Austria, but that Aus
tria, Hungary and particularly Ger
many should be strengthened at the
expense of France or Of Frances allies,
for II Germany should again become
strong enough SO as evenly to counter
balance France then Italy would hold
the balance Of the power on the Con-
tinent.
Leading Place Assumed.
And, finally, Italy decided to assume
the leading place in the campaign for
oiSarmament-disa armament to any ex-
tent whatever, provided always parity
| in ornaments be established between
Italy and France.
This does not mean that the Italian
philosophy argues pacifism for its own
! Sake-the contrary seems rather to be
the case-but that only through dis
armament by agreement under treaty
can Italy hope to attain that parity
with France.
1t is to this program, therefore, that
Signor Grandi, who is one OF the ableSt
end most charming statesmen In the
world today, will presumably try to per-
suade the United States: Disarmament
to the lowest possible level on the basis
Of Franco italian parity. treaty revision
in Germanys favor and the constitution
Of sort Of British American German
Italian bloc to bring these things about.
THE Italian vote" says the London
Times. lis an increasingly important
factor in American politics" And 1t
adds that the Sons Of Italy organization
has 800 branches In the United States
(Copyrisht, 1o3i.)
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