The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-02-22
 Chairman of Ameri- can League for Italy Answers Ch arg e of
 Former Ann
 bassador.

The Democrat is in receipt of a letter from Luigi Criscuolo of New York city, chairman of the Ameri- can League for Italy. The organi- zation was formed in 1885 to pre- sent to the American public facts regarding Italy's political aims and aspirations.
 Recently William E. Dodd, for mer ambassador to Germany, made reference to the fact that Italy owes the United States $2,000, 100000 and had refused to pay. MT. Criscuolo takes issue with MT. Dodd on this fact and also answers him on the charges that Italy had demanded the annexa- tion of Jugoslavia and parts of Austria.
 Mir. Criscuolo's letter originally appeared in the New York Sun. Its reproduction in the Democrat as requested by the Democrat is as follows:
 To the Editor of the Sun-Sir
 In speech by William E. Dodd former Ambassador to Germany which in the main was very con- mendable, statements were made regarding Italy which cannot go unchallanged. He said:
 And Italy, which owed its salva- ton to the United States, refused even to try to pay the United States its debt of $2,000,000,0 Its government demanded annexa- tion of Jugoslavia and parts of Austria; and in 1923 Mussolini re- organized Italy with the avowed purpose of doing what Julius Caesar had done 2,000 years be- fore.
 Ambassador Dodd has the repu- tation of being a noted historian, having been professor of history at the University of Chicago. However, he avoided the facts when he made the above state ment. Italy does owe the United States about two billion dollars but the debt has not yet matured. What Italy owes the United States today is a certain amount of ac- crued interest on that debt but ill defaulting on the said interest, she is ill the delightful company of Great Britain, France, Belgium, Jugoslavia and other countries.
 The Ambassador made the statement that the Italian govern ment demanded the annexation of Jugoslavia and parts of Austria. I assume that he refers to the de- mands made by Italy at the Peace Conference at Versailles in 1919. Again MT. Dodd has his facts con- fused. Italy did not demand the annexation of Jugoslavia but only small parts of the coast line or which at one time belonged to Venice or any other city-states which are now included in the Kingdom of Italy.
 All questions between Italy and Jugoslavia have been happily Set- tied. In so far as Italy'S demands for parts of Austria were con- cerned, Italy claimed the prov inces of Trent and Trieste which had been Italian and which should have remained Italian, and she re- ceived them.
 The statement that Italy owes its salvation to the United States is somewhat exaggerated. What ever financial help Italy received from the United States in 1917 and 1918, was received as part of plan under which all the Allies were assisted. The United States did not simply go out of its way to help Italy. However, we might be reminded of the fact that Italy's victory at Vittorio-Vene took place seven days before the armistice on the western front, which armistice was not victory but a truce.
 On the other hand. Italy's de- feat of the Austro- German army was 8 complete victory that ter minated the war on the Italian front. For this reason, there Is no doubt that the United States did not win the war for Italy, to say the least. Another proof of this lies in the 5OO,0O0 Italians who died in order to help save the world for democracy" which exists nowhere in Europe and seems to be fast disappearing even in the United States.
 Luigi Chiscuolo