Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-29
NAVY ACCORD MAKES ITALY
GREAT POWER IN EUROPE
Gets Germany's Place With France and
England Just in Time to
Escape Isolation.

/ treaties and equality In ornaments.
which in substance amounted to an In
dorsement of German demands 70 re-
cover the Polish corridor and rearna.
France Free From Suffering.
This extreme Fascist position was
taken following the London Naval Con-
ference, when Italy'S demand for naval
parity with France in all categorieS pre-
cipitated a deadlock and prevented the
success of the five-power conference.
But already the economic depression
had begun TO make itself felt in Europe
as well as in America France alone
was, so far, free from suffering. Britain
and the United States, struggling with
their problems, and believing peace and
confidence must be insured II prosperity
were to be regaine2, heard with disap-
proval the Duce'g hery speeches. Italy,
forced TO seek financial aid. found the
, doors of London and New York, quite
as much as Paris, closed to her. While
she still pressed her naval building pro-
gram. it was now patent that she could
not hope long to compete with France,
which was piling up the gold OF the
world in her vaults
Moreover. all Europe was beginning
to suffer acutely from the general at
mosphere of insecurity and danger
which had resulted on the one hand
| from Franco-Italian bitterness and on
the other from the dumping" and other
activities of the Russian Soviets And,
OF course, the astounding progress of
the Hitlerites in Germany further dis
turbed European confidence. Finally, II
was becoming clear that not only we're
/ London and Paris drawing more closely
/ together, but finance and business in
America were also moving in a direction
/ which foreshadowed measure of COM
| mon action between the three great
! financial nations.
The meeting Of the Council Of the
League of Nations in January showed
Europe diSorganized. economic recovery
paraly2ed by political differences and
| the responsible statesmen equally trou-
| bled by friction abroad and mounting
misery and discomfort at home. In this
| Council, however, Italy found herself
more or less isolated. True. Grandi and
| Curtius maintained a certain appear
ance of common front, but by con-
trast 1t was patent that BRAND and
Henderson were cooperating closely
Italy was then brought face to face
with the vital decision: If she continued
| her policy of seeking to build up q new
coalition In Europe, while she could
conceivably, although not certainly.
hope for German assistance, and might
exploit Russian pohcy-although she
ran the risk Of having her own policy
| equally exploited by Moscow-she was
bound to see herself isolated so far as
France and Britain were concerned
And American dispatches, recording
various eloquent indiscretions Of gen
erals and attorney generals, gave warn
4 ing that FaScism was at last losing its
good press and becoming accepted IS a
menace to world peace.
Astonishing Change Of Front.
! AS a consequence We have had what
must be reckoned the most astonishing
/ change OF front In contemporary Euro
pean history. Italy, after repulsinR all
the efforts of Dwight Morrow In Lon
don, and later Hugh Gibson in Rome,
has accepted compromise In the naval
dispute with France, which has made
possible a general agreement and the
end of the controversy.
Stripped OF all diplomatic disguise,
this means in simple terms that, having
played her own game up to a point,
Italy has now caShed in. She obtains
recognition as one of the three great
powers Of Europe; replacing Germany,
she becomes an equal partner with
Britain and France in the direction OF
European affairs. On the other hand
she renounceS the policy of pinprickS
and provocationS. The line between
Moscow and Rome breaks; that be-
tween Berlin and Rome is likely to sag.
| Italy has, for the time being, changed
sides and become, instead Of q chal-
longing, cooperating factor in Eu-
rope. Out of the challenging policy
MuSsolini has extracted the last posi-
bic bit Of profit, or, If one takes the
italian view. the Duce has held out I'M
| til he has brought France and Britain
to recognize Italian rights. In recent
days there has been danger that this
challenging policy might end by iso-
lating Italy and earning her the dubious
| glory OF being a menace to peace. But
Mussolini has changed cars in time,
leaving Berlin dazed and Moscow
| sullen.
After the worst Winter Europe has
known politically. economically inter-
nationally. at least since the occupation
of the Ruhr in 1923, the arrival Of the
naval accord represents a gain which
can be of incalculable value, as 1t GER
tainly was almost inconceivable. It is,
| perhaps. an ultimate evidence of the
degree to which Europe has recently
experienced the SOLDERING effect Of the
last months, in which war has been
talked, international rivalries exacer-
bated and economic depression extended.
(Copyright, 1917