The Washington times., 1935-09-19
British Rush Air Fleet
To Mediterranean Area
Copyright. 1885, by International
News Service)

" "ISNBSSbb SAIbSS4ub Nv S@
! Copyright. 1885, by International
News Servtce)
LONDON, Sept. 10 Q.N.S).
Supplementing her ominous naval
:, movements to positions strategic
; in the impending 1talo-Ethiopian
< conflict, Great Britain Is con-
. centrating a great portion Of her
air fleet in the Mediterranean
area, it was learned today.
!. In contrast with the ship move
ments, which the admiralty tried
to keep secret but failed, 8 swift
! concentration of Royal Air Force
. planes has been going on for sev.
i eral days, with only handful
\ Of officials aware Of it.
= Strategy in Secrecy
Official admission of the air.
=. plane movements was not eX-
:. pected because Of the tactical ad-
!, vantage to be gained by secrecy.
Such secrecy was desired also IN
the naval maneuvers, but was
impossible when the fighting
= ships appeared in various Medi-
= terranean ports.
. The British planes, however.
have flown to their assigned
destinations unseen. Reinforce
; ments were sent to Gibraltar,
Malta, Alden, British Somaliland,
and other bases as yet unknown,
probably including Cairo and
Alexandria under agreement with
the Egyptian government.
Z The British public remained
'c the most ignorant in the civil
I; lied world regarding the British
sea and air moves in the 1talo-
Z Ethiopian controversy.
Censorship Effective
Official requests that the opera.
t1onS be ignored or used as only
bottom of-the-page items in the
press were observed, making an
effective censorship.
In official circles, however,
where the movements were known,
a grave view was taken Of the
crisis.
On the other hand, the public
was fully informed Of the SEEM
ingly defiant attitude Of Premier
MuSSolini toward the peace efforts
Of the League Of Nations.
While Great Britain's naval
preparations in the Mediterranean
%cauSed Italy to postpone new war
SmoveS until Saturdays Cabinet
meeting, II Duce made 1t clear
that Britain has not moved him
from his determination to war on
Ethiopia.
Before even seeing the complete
official text Of the new peace pro-
poSal-proWding territorial
grants in East Africa to Italy and
Ethiopia and establishing foreign
advisors for the Ethiopian EN-
peror-1l Duce rejected them with
bitter Scorn.
No Desert Collector
He told Ward Price, London
Daily Mail correspondent:
"The plan Is not only unac.
ceptable, but dcrisive. It looks
as If the committee of the
League thinks / am q collector
Of deserts"
The provinces Of Danakil and
Ogaden, which it was suggested
be granted to Italy, II Duce de-
Scribed as deserts Of salt and
stone" He said
II got 10000 square miles of
Sahara Desert from the French
a little while ago. Do you know
how many inhabitants that
deSolate area has? Sixty.two!
SEES FACTS IGNORED
at would have been better If
the committee had addressed it.
self to the essential facts of the
Abyssinian situation, which is
that there is no such thing as
an Abyssinian nation.
What makes up the nation
called AbySSinia is the dom
inant race Of AmharaS ruling
the tribes they have conquered
and reduced to slavery and al
most exterminated in the pro-
cess.
"These oppressed subject
races of Ethiopia would be far
better off under Italian rule"
Tension was heightened by
Premier MuSsolini's declaration
which, it was said in authorita-
tive quarters. was obviously IN
tended to prepare the British pub
lie for a formal and final refusal
to accept the Leagues peace
moves.
This rejection Is expected fol
lowing Saturdays Italian cabinet
council.
Meanwhile, French and British
collaboration on the 1talo-Etnl'
-epian problem drew closer as
result of British assurances In