Evening star., 1936-09-01
Fascist Saber Rattling.


With Europe still far from assured that
Spanish civil strife can be brought to an
end without plunging the Old World into
international war, Premier Mussolini has
divested himself of a saber-rattling
speech little designed to strengthen faith
in the preservation of peace Seidng the
occasion of the annual Fascist war
games, II Duce thunders that because Of
the Irresistible armament race" under
way, Italy's requirement is ito be so
strong that she can face any eventu-
alities" He rejects the "absurdity Of
eternal peace" declaring it foreign to
our creed and our temperament" Glori-
flying the conquest of Ethiopia, the dicta-
tor warns the world that far from having
weakened Italy, the African campaign
leaves her more formidable than ever,
and, as concrete evidence of her military
might, Mussolini boasts that always, in
the course of few hours, and after a
simple order. we can mobilize 100000
men"
AS he has done on other occasions,
Mussolini couples with truculent asser-
tion of Italians armed power an assur-
rance Of their desire ito live long time
at peace with ALL" He contends that
they are determined to offer lasting,
concrete contribution to the project of
collaboration among peoples" But in the
same breath he points out that in light
of the failure of disarmament and Ger
tain political situations now in the course
of uncertain development"-an obvious
reference to Spain's Fascist Communist
conflict-"the order of the day for
italians can only be strength and more
strength" Then follows a defiant re-
minder that conquest of African empire
was not obtained by diplomatic COM
promises" but by "fine, glorious and
victorious battle" against overwhelming
odds at home and abroad. The premier's
illumination wound up with pledge that
the militant course Of fascism will be
continued tomorrow and always"
Precisely what lies behind this bellicose
outburst can only be surmised. It may
be Italys reply to Hitlers plan to raise
the term Of German compulsory military
service from one to three years, whereby,
according to French calculations, the
Reich can take the field with 1,365,000
troops, as compared to the Kaiser's le-
gions OF 100000 in 1914. The Avellino
pronouncement may also be intended to
exercise certain restraining influence in
Moscow and signal italian purpose and
ability to thwart any attempted COM
munization of Central or Western
Europe.
In London the Fascists are credited
with plotting eventually to profit from
the Spanish revolt. Despite formal neu-
trality, italian sympathies are considered
by British observers to be openly on the
side of Frances rebellious adventure.
Mussolini's ultimate hope, it is believed
in the same quarters, is to see the estab-
lishment of a Fascist regime at Madrid,
which would look favorably upon Rome's
ambition to make the Eastern Mediter-
ranean an Italian lake and, by Destroy
ing British power in that region, to
dominate both Egypt and the Suez
Canal and become the indisputable
master Of North Africa. Whether or
not far-flung Fascist dreams of this
hue inspired II Duce's latest saber-
rattling, his emphasis on the glories Of
empire and conquest is bound to revive
fears that another devastating war, far
from being improbable, seems almost
inevitable.