The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-17
MUSSOLINI MAY
SAVE HIMSELF
! DESPITE HOLE
Possible Decisive Factors
Outlined as League
Council Gathers.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
scripps-Howard Foreign Editor


WASHINGTON, Jan. II. - The
-darkening clouds piling UP over
Europe. Africa and Asia may yet
afford Benito Mussolini a chance to
escape from the corner into which
Great Britain and the League have
backed him.
On the eve of resumption of the
League Councils activities at Gen
eva and the proposed new penalties
against Italy, the following factors
may prove decisive:
Japan has administered the
coup de grace to the London naval
parley, preparatory to launching a
fleet second to none. Under its pro-
lection she can proceed with her
program Of expansion in the Far
East almost at will.
premier Molotoff, at Moscow,
openly speaks of plans to conquer
and partition the Soviet Union" He
has in mind Hilter's scheme to ex-
pand Germany's frontiers eastward
at Russia's expense, and Japan's
moves in the direction of eastern
Siberia.
Russia Builds Army
3-Russia, accordingly, has in
creased her army from a million
men to 100000 and may make it
bigger, while her new national de-
Tense budget calls for double the
present sum, or nearly $4,000 900, 900
probably the largest peace-time
expenditure on ornaments in world
history.
paris has informed London
that Germany is preparing to re-
occupy the Rhineland militarily,
scrapping the last vestige of the
treaty of Versailles. France is seek
ing to find out what Britain would
do in such an event. Britains
frontier, Prime Minister Baldwin
has said, Is no longer the chalk cliffs
OF Dover, but the Rhine.
5-Britain is alarmed over the
growing Nazi air force whose
bombers could be over London in so
minutes. She also is worried over
Egypt, where unrest is threatening
the Suez Canal and the empires
Red Sea route to the Far East.
6-Throughout central Europe and
the Balkans, disgruntled peoples are
watching to see which way the cat
Is going to jump, hoping and pre-
pairing to profit by joining the fray
whenever it begins.
Against such background as this
the League council is scheduled to
take a fresh start against Italy
Monday. Several times action on
the proposed embargo on oil, steel
ana other key materials has been
postponed. The same thing may
happen again.
They Fear II Duce
The reason is that Britain, France.
Russia and other leading League
powers are fearful of what might
happen If II Duce were pushed too
lar. He has warned he would regard
an oil embargo, for instance, as an
act of war. And if he fought back.
the whole world might go up in
blaze.
Britain and France see them
selves as bearing the brunt of any
war with Italy. While they are en-
broiled in the Mediterranean, they
ask, what IS going to happen in the
rest of Europe and in the Far East?
They are expected, therefore, to
proceed with extreme caution. Brit
ish spokesman already have indi-
Gated the blame might be saddled
on the United States. Our new neu-
trality projects permit the export of
commodities other than munitions
of war in normal peaca-time guam
titles, subject to certain conditions.
This might provide Geneva with an
excuse at least to mark time.
Soviet Russia hardly will press for
drastic action against Italy if con-
vinced a world situation might be
created favorable to German-Japa-
nese aggression against her.
So the tightening of sanctions
about italy, for one reason or an
other. may be postponed or even
abandoned This would afford time
for the development of further
peace plans involving Italy and
Ethiopia. Mussolini is said to desire
a way out which will not be fatal to
his prestige.