Imperial Valley press., 1939-05-25
Authority from
Europe's Chains
By CHARLES p. STEWART

pean press Is, lne very ldCI tLldt
it IS enSlaved gives a certain
amount of authority to its utter
ances. What it says is recognized
as. in effect. official. An editorial
by the newspaper Izvestia, in Rus
sia, by Herr GoebbelS, in Germany,
OF by Signor Gayda, in Italy, is ac-
cepted by the state department as
implicitly as if it were a formal
declaration by Dictator Stain,
Fuehrer Hitler or Duce MuSSolini.
French journals may not print
everything that Premier Daladier
wants them to print, but, in recent
weeks, they haven't printed any
thing that he prefers they shouldn't
print; they don't dare to. Even
English papers stay hushed on sub
jects the government asks them to
keep quiet about. In their cases it
isn't so mandatory. but they're care
full.
Tho American press, of course,
publishes whatever it likes, short
of libel. which doesn't signify in
connection with these international
discussions.
Our Free Press Puzzles Them
However. when our papers make
uncomplimentary remarks concern
ing the tCtalitarian governments,
these latter resent such comments
as governmentally inspired, just as
il Washington could. did it choose
to do so. control our press even as
they do their own. Possibly they
really don't sense the difference
that our stuff represents public
opinion in general; not necessarily
the administration viewpoint. On
the opposite hand, maybe we fail
to take into consideration the
chance that the overseas press in
spired expressions don't truly voice
THEIR various countries true pub
lie opinion Gt would be suppressed
if it did, if totalitarianiSm disagreed
with it,
SO there perhaps is more or less
mutual misunderstanding.
Illustratively:
A few days ago the Nazi news
papers burst into a chorus Of ac-
claim of Fascist military excellence
of the Italians proWesS as fight
erS.
Italian Warriors Dcridcd
/ don't think it ever has been
disputed that tho Germans arc for
midable warriors. But the modern
Italians have been quite widely
criticized as rather weakened
soldiers. No doubt it was unjust
but it's fact unquestionably. Ant
the Germans have done a good bill
Of the criticizing. There was a rea-
son for it, too Germany Austria
and Italy were allied before the last
World war. But when the wal
broke out Italy reneged Finally il
joined the anti-Germany allies. Il
never" wrote the kaiser TO the
Italian king, will forget your trea-
SON
Throughout the rest of the War
the Germans and AustrianS never
would admit that the Italians were
any appreciable loss to them. Sim
ilarly the allies never admitted that
italy was much of an aid to them
Consequently they refused to grant
10 Italy what it considered its fan
share of the postwar gravy. Hence
the italian yowl for recognition oi
its disappointed aspirations.
Germans Don't Like Italy
~ 70
must be a lot of anti-Italian public
feeling left in Germany in regarc
tC Italians.
Nevertheless, in present circum-
stances, Der Fuehrer has need oi
II Duce's support at today's juno
ture. Perchance he has some extra
confidence in Signor Mussolini per.
sonally-or something.
Anyway, there seems to be a
popular German revulsion against
Italy. and Herr Hitler wants tc
counteract it.
Otherwise, why would Goebbels
Hitler's publicity agent, be boost
ing SO energetically for Italy, as a
corking good partner. despite the
eX-kaiser's opinion of it as an
abominably poor one?
The state departments hunch is
that Goebbels, as Hitlers press
agent is trying TO administer TO
Germany an antidote to anti-Ital-
ian public opinion. The state de-
partments skeptical that it will
take" indefinitely. However, the
departments fearful that it may
take long enough TO start war.