Evening star., 1939-05-06
Ribbentrop, Ciano
Chart Axis Course
Regarding Poland
ItoIy's Foreign Minister
Expected to Press for
Peaceful Solution
N the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
MILAN, italy, May 6.-The for
eign ministers Of Italy and Germany
met here today to chart axis policies
after Poland's rejection of German
demands in Danzig and the Polish
Corridor.
Indications from italian sources
were that Foreign Minister Count
Galeazzo Ciano, in his talk with the
German foreign minister, Joachim
Won Ribbentrop, would seek peace
full way out of the dispute between
Italy's axis partner and Poland,
traditional friend Of Italy.
Diplomats in Rome expected Count
Ciano would counsel moderation in
his talks with Won Ribbentrop, and
there was possibility he would offer
Italian mediation.
The Italian press was pulling hard
for peaceful solution, pointing out
that neither Chancellor Hitler in his
ReichStag address on April % nor
Polish Foreign Minister Beck in his
speech yesterday had closed the door
to negotiation.
Friendship for Poland Stressed.
While newspaper articles admon-
ished Poland to heed the German
demands, which many articles char
acterized as 'just," the usually au-
thoritative journalist, Virginio Gay
da, stressed Italy's friendship for
Poland. Italy supported Poland's
desire for common frontier with
Hungary In the break up of Czecho-
Slovakia.
Gayda's assurances that Italy de-
sired to remain neutral in the dis
pute were accepted by diplomats as
an indication Italy was offering her.
self as mediator There was no
evidence, however, that Italy would
break with Germany on Polands
behalf in the event of a showdown.
Informed Fascists believed a So
luton of the Polish controversy
would be found despite what they
described as the "intransigeance" of
Polish Foreign Minister Becks
speech yesterday.
They added, however, that a So
luton would not be easy and that
1t would require in any case some
sacrifice on Poland's part.
Reluctant to Get Into War.
Count Ciano was expected to learn
how determined Hitler is in his in
tentions in conversations with Won
Ribbentrop today.
Italy's interests in solution were
based not only on her partnership
IN the axis and her carefully culti-
waited friendship with Poland, but
also her reluctance to become in
volved in any war over an Eastern
European question in which she has
no direct stake, and fear that the
Polish-German crisis might wreck
her system of understandings with
Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Fascists argued that Poland would
be wise to heed the advice of the
axis. contending she would find a
more substantial guarantee of her
security that way than under the
protection of France and Britain.
Other Subjects on Agenda.
Other subjects also were on the
agenda. All recent developments in
European diplomacy were expected
to be reviewed by tn two statesmen,
including British conscription and
negotiations with Soviet Russia.
The first conversation was set for
this afternoon. The program called
for second talk tomorrow at Villa
dEste at Lake Como.
Count Ciano waited on the sta
ton platform to greet Won Ribben-
trop when his train arrived The
two foreign ministers shook hands
before making their way to their
motor cars between lines of cheering
Fascists and guard of honor
standing at attention with sabers
drawn.
The entire 3h-mile route from the
station to Won Ribbentrop's hotel
was lined with uniformed members
Of Fascist organizations standing at
attention. Italian and German flags
flew from every building. Bands
played at almost every other street
corner. Crowds of girls, many of
them standing in balconies over
looking the street. tossed flowers at
Count Ciano and Won Ribbentrop
~ their automobiles passed.