The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-11-20

1acCS DenlnQ the Roman CE Even ofiicial reports, volunlin- ,ous as they have been, have left several blank-spots in the Italian picture. It was known to the D. s. war department, for instance, that sometime around May, the Italian general staff submitted to Mussolini Q highly discouraging report regarding the time and expense of conquering AbyssiHlia.
 It was also known then that II Duce was heading into increas- ing domestic storms. Not only was there a growing subterranean criticism of him, but his financial structure was headed for the rocks. He had been running into debt ct Q rate which would have evoked cries of horror from Lib- erty League Italians, had any political party save his own Fas- cists been allowed to function.
 His average borrowing ran around four to five billion lire Q year, and his internal national debt this year will total close to no billion lire-not including war expenditures.
 International Deficit
 Furthermore, Mussolinis system of planned economy, higher tar- ifs, plus lower tourist expendi- lures and decreased emigrant re- mittances, was running Italy's international trade balance deep- CT in tn cred every year.
 Mussolini was up against 1t both politically and economically, and as an alternative he chose the precedent followed for cen- turies by the Caesars before him conquest.
 But the unfortunate fact-from Mussolini's viewpoint - was that up until early summer the Italian public was anything but enthu- siastic about the idea of conquest.
 In fact many of them were not even enthusiastic about their from listed leader. Even many wearers of the Fascist button privately criticized II Duce; so that P. N. F.-"Partlto Nazlonale Fascista" was re- named by many Fascists, "Per Necessita al Famiglla" or "For the Necessity of the Family"
 And almost no one cheered the idea of invading Africa.
 Propaganda War Drums
 At which point enters that part of the picture, not fully realized hitherto, namely that Mussolini proceeded to use the English as drum-beat to lead his armies into Abyssinia.
 Prior to that time there had been no nti-English sentiment in the Italian press. Nor had there been any outburst against Italy in Great Britain. References in the London press were mild and casual. Captain Anthony Eden had even gone to bat for Mussolini during the negotiations with the Abyssinian delegate ct Geneva.
 But suddenly, out of . clear sky, the Italian press dared forth against England.
 Only those familiar with the way the Fascist press operates can appreciate the significance of such blast.
 Under this system, all editors are required to take their cue from the editorials of certain des- ignated spokesmen. Usually this spokesman is Mussolini's own paper, Popolo d'Italia.
 And even papers devoted ex- clusively to sports must reprint
 as their leading article certain
 policy editorials which appear
 in Popoi0 d'Italia. Every paper
 in the country on that day will carry the same editorial, to- gether with elaborations by in-
 dividual editors.
 British Atrocities Tn launching the blast against Britain, however, the spokesman was Signor Virginia Gayda, of of Giornale dItalia, partly be- cause he is an English expert and partly because anti-British casti. gations in Mussolini's own paper would have brought the campaign too close to home.
 Giornale dItalia, therefore, launched a vituperative story of British imperialistic atrocities, prosecutions, tortures, drugging and poisoning of rebels. The en- tire press of Italy followed, even the comic papers, such as Marc Aurelio, publishing cartoons of the British hanging Africans with British phlegin."
 Protests by Sir Eric Drummond. British ambassador, were unheed- ed. And 1t was only after this | that kha ns,lkioIa sasAaa AasR0tak APA