Evening star., 1939-04-16
Axis Peoples Not Enthusiastic
Travellers Wonder What Holds
Germany and ltoIy together

a series OF weekly articles whfch
will appear tn The Star bv
Thomas l.. Ddmmann and hts
Utfe Hdrle. These t,Uo younq
people are trauei,ng in Europe
and Urltlng as they 90 of uhat
they find interesting, and The
Star prints their articles as the
Impressions OF r,Do young Amer
teams. Mr.. Damnann, a Haruard
graduate, tDdS business MANAGER
OF the HARVARD Crimson and
gained experience as a reporter
IN Chicago ana Nashville. He
and Mrs. Damn,ann haze trap.
eled tDtdely.
By TOM and HARLE DAMMANN.
NAPLES.-Driving down the axis
from Berlin to Rome we have won-
dered more and more just how and
why the axis holds together.
Our young German friends nurse
nothing but contempt for Italians
and have never forgotten that Italy
tore up her alliance with Germany
and Joined the Allies in 1915.
You can't trust Italians. They
are nothing but towards anyway"
Fritz Won Wolfgang. an army friend,
exploded one night in Munich. my
father fought on the italian from
tier with the Austrian troops during
the Great War and has told me
many stories about how brave Ital-
ians are. During the last days Of
the war when our fellows were starv-
ing they used to make raids over
No Mans Land just after rations
had been distributed to the Italians.
The Italians would be so scared they
would run away, leaving the food
behind for our troops to pick up."
Hermann Wiedemann, the artist,
was another typical German. He
always maintained that Hitler does
not want war.
IT'S that Mussolini and his crazy
Italians who will get us into trou-
ole,' he once said. They and their
demands for Tunisia, Jibuti and
Suez! What do they want more
lands for? Haven't they enough
trouble already with Spain and
Ethiopian"
But whenever we asked these
friends why they support the al
lance, feeling as they do, we always
got a stock reply. Hitler says that
Italy and Germany have mutual
interests and aspirations. and that
the axis is, therefore, an excellent
partnership. His word Is sufficient
and our friends support the axis.
Feeling Returned in Kind,
In Italy we find that our young
friends return the German opinion
IN kind. Theirs is a feeling not
only OF distrust and contempt, but
OF resentment and fear.
Mario Rosetti expresses this feel.
Ing more frequently than any one
else we have known here. He is
one Of large Neapolitan family, all
in the hotel business. Because he
has been out Of work recently he
has spent 10 days with us roeming
about Southern Italy, introducing
us to his friends, taking us to
parties, and talking. A year ago he
decided to seek his fortune in Ger
many and obtained a job as as
sistant manager In q hotel in Nurem-
burg.
II stayed there Just two DAYS, "
he laughed. 'They are such
stupid people. My chief had been
In Italy for a whole year and
hadn't learned q word of italian,
learned German In 16 lessons and,
though I can't speak like a native,
I can make myself understood. My
chief could speak only a little
French and that language"
The vehemence with which he
uttered the word that" and his
sneer as he said 1t summed up the
contempt which Italians have for
Germans. And Mario's opinion can
not be taken lightly. He is "a, has
had a complete Fascist education
has worked and lived in many parts
of his country, and because Of his
vocation, he represents Italy's chief
industry, the tourist trade (there
are more than 5000 hotels in
italy,.
Bah, they pour in here like lava
from Mount Vesuvius," he ex-
claimed one day as we wandered
among the ruins Of Pompeii. "They
buy coupons In Germany which take