Evening star., 1939-08-25
Feeling Grows Here
Duce May Move
10 Stay Killers Hand
Opposition Of King Victor
And Many Top Foscists
To War Is the Reason
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


There is a growing feeling in
Washington official quarters, and
especially in the State Department,
that Italy might do something at
the last minute to prevent Hitler's
going to war.
This feeling is based on the report
that King Victor Emmanuel Of Italy
and the heir to the throne, Prince
Umberto, are most unsympathetic
toward any armed action in which
Italy might become involved. They
can see no advantage from Polish
German war in which Italy might
become involved because France and
Great Britain are pledged to inter-
vene for Poland.
There is a similar sentiment
among certain leading Fascists of
the old school. Among these are
prominent people like Field Marshal
Badoglio, Air Marshal Italo Balbo
and the former Ambassador to Lon
don. Count Dino Grandi. To this
powerful array of leaders, Achille
Starace, the secretary general of the
Fascist party, has been added.
Heretofore. Starace had been an en-
thusiastic follower of the Nazis. He
still is except that he, like so many
others, wonders whether major war
would be beneficial to Italy.
Hopes to Stir Mussolini.
It was because of this information
that President Roosevelt made his
dramatic appeal personally to the
King of Italy yesterday. Like his
advisors, he realized the Italian
monarch has no power to make i'm
mediate decisions; that the whole
matter of war or peace-as far as
Italy is concerned-is in Premier
Mussolinis hands. But 1t was be-
lieved that the friendly message to
the Italian King, together with other
initiatives" from London and Paris.
might set Mussolini thinking before
it was too late.
High official quarters know that
the decisions reached at Salzburg
between Count Ciano and Baron Won
Ribbentrop were approved by II
Duce, and any outside Intervention
from individuals or nations, which
heretofore have been far from
friendly to Italy, can be of little
avail.
But, in the meantime, it is thought
that the realization that this time
there can be no Munich and that
Britain and France are determined
to fight might conceivably induce
Mussolini to try to put the brakes
on his Berlin colleagues. This ap-
pears possible because during the
Sazburg conversation the German
foreign minister was sure that
neither Britain nor France would
espouse the Polish cause to the ex-
tent of going to war.
In order to strengthen Mussolinis
hand in the event he decided to in
tervene quietly before the German
troops have had time to cross the
Polish border, President Roosevelt
last night sent two messages to the
heads of the Reich and Poland. In
well-informed quarters, it is said Mr..
Roosevelt did not expect to bring
peace by those messages in them
selves. They we're intended to as
sist, if possible. any direct interven-
ton from II Duce.
The deep conviction which ex-
listed yesterday in official quarters
that general European war was a
matter OF "a or 48 hours has made
room for faint hope that some
thing might happen to avert this
catastrophe.
IL Is rumored among other things
no confirmation seems to be pos
slble-that Prime Minister Cham
berlain has sent secret messenger
to see Hitler to present new pro-
posals which are reported not to
involve Poland's position.
On the whole, while the situation
is considered desperate, there are
a number of official optimists who
believe that as long as German
troops have not attacked Poland in
force there still may be a hope for
a peaceful settlement.
Realists in Washington diplo-
matte quarters point out, however,
that most imminent wars have such
ups and downs with last-minute
hopes which do not materialize.
1t is recalled that while the Ger
man and Russian Armies were be-
ing modified and Austria had
actually started bombing Belgrade
In 1914. there were peace messages
and appeals exchanged between
Willy" and "Nicky," the cousin
Emperors of Germany and Russia.
These goodwill messages, on
which the whole world pinned its
hope OF preventing a general war.
proved useless. There is fear that
this will also be the fate of Mr..
Roosevelt's last-minute peace efforts
d