Evening star., 1938-12-08
Germany Believed
Pledged 10 Back
Italian Claims
But Fails to Restroin
Rome Till Signing
Of French Pact
By PERTINAX,

BY PERTINAX.
PARIS, Dec. 8 (N.AN.A).-Infor-
nation available here from an in
dependent diplomatic source in
Rome makes it clear that. Of late,
the German government has pledged
itself to lend full support to Italian
claims concerning Spain, the West
ern Mediterranean and French
Northern Africa.
1t is probable that the visit re-
Gently paid to Count Ciano, the
Italian foreign minister, by Hans
Georg Won Mackensen, the German
Ambassador to Rome, was decisive
in that respect.
When Andre Francois -Poncet, tho
newly appointed French Ambassa-
dor to Rome, took possession of the
Farnese Palazzo at the beginning OF
November and the French govern
ment naively believed that, through
the de, jure recognition it had ex-
tended to the italian Empire, an
Improvement Of Franco-Italian re-
lations was in sight, Mussolini and
his son-in-law, Count Ciano, who
had left Munich empty-handed on
September 30, decided that the time
had come for them to disclose
openly their aims in Tunisia and
elsewhere.
Frances Wrongs Emphasized.
Very remarkable details have be-
come known about what took place
during the first audience II Duce
gave to the French Ambassador on
November 20, on the eve of the
noisy demonstration in Montecitorio.
While Mussolini and Francois
Poncet sat face to face, Ciano, who
was IN attendance "a rather unusual
fact). stood up with folded arms, as
he did not condescend to take q
chair. Mussolini began with a mon
ologue, In which he emphasized all
the wrongs inflicted by France dur
ing the Spanish civil war upon the
Nationalist cause, so dear to the
heart Of the Fascist regime. Hardly
80 minutes had passed by when
Ciano made a gesture whose only
possible significance was that the
conversation had. to his Judgment,
lasted long enough and that an end
had better be put to 1t. Mussolini
answered the hint, and Francois
Poncet had to leave rather hur-
riedly
Thus. Francois Poncet's mind
had been subjected to a fitting psy-
Geological preparation with a view
10 the great scene which was to
unroll itself the following day in
the Chambep of Deputies.
But the most extraordinary fea-
ture OF that sequence of develop
ments is that Germany should not
nave succeeded in keeping her
Italian partner within bounds for
the sake Of decency until German
Foreign Minister Won Ribbentrop
should have returned from his Paris
journey. The probabilities are that
Won Ribbentrop, who, as already told
IN former dispatch, initiated the
whole North African undertaking
OF Italy on October % in order to
distract italian attention and de-
mands from Central Europe, did his
best to convince his own goyern-
ment. and, behind it, Mussolinl, that
a few weeks or a few days respite
should be conceded, as he did not
want to come, in Paris or after lust
having left Paris, under the charge
OF having played false with the
French government. But, to all
appearances, Won Ribbentrop has
been overruled.
Mussolini having threatened to
part company with the Reich II his
North African, Mediterranean and
Spanish program Che regards Ii as a
fair compensation to balance the
great advantages Hitler has won
for his country in Austria and
Czecho-Slovakia) was not given .nl-
mediate attention in Berlin, the
Fuehrer and his advisers have with
drawn their objections.
In French official circles ignor-
ance OF what has happened is still
professed. For Foreign Minister
Bonnet it is a comfortable attitude
to take. But it will not be possible
for any one to stick to that kind of
denial. NJ Bonnet ought to have
made use of his talks with Won Rib
bentrop yesterday and today to as
certain the nature, extent ana pur-
pose Of the German-Italian de facto
alliance concerning Spain, the
Western Mediterranean and North
Africa.
Contrary to what I wrote yester-
day, Won Ribbentrop was very out
spoken in his denunciation of So
Wet Russia, which, according to him,
ought to be kept very far removed
from all European affairs, and of the
Jewish Communist Spanish Re-
public.
M. Bonnet, it is true, declared that
the French government would not
give up the Franco-Soviet pact, but
he did not dare to put pointed ques-
tions to his interlocutor about Ger
many's relations with Italy In so far
as France can be affected by them.
He will soon have to realize that
he has placed himself in the ridicu-
lous position of having signed a
Franco-German declaration intend
ed to safeguard Frances European
frontiers few days after the Hit
lerian Reich had resolved even
tually to join hands with Italy to
treat Frances North African empire
as another Czecho- -Slovakia.
tCopyriEht. 1885, By the North America,
Newspaper Alliance. Inc.)