Evening star., 1939-01-14

This is the first OF 1ae,u series
of stories on AFTER the Munich
Peace" by Constantine BroD1a,
The Stars foreign ne,Us CON-
mentator. This article, Dritten
a month ago, is Particularly tn
teresting in DieU of the CONFER
sattons Just ended bet,Deen Brit
ish Premier Chamberlain and
Premier MusSolini.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN,
Star stan Correspondent.
ROME. December, 1884 vio-
lent clash between France and Italy
is inevitable next spring, unless the
French yield to Mussolini's demands
This is the opinion of official and
unofficial Italians in Rome, of for
eign diplomats and observers who
have spent months watching de-
velopments between the two coun-
tries. 1t Is told the soldiers in bar
racks and the sailors on board ships
The fact that the country has not
the means to carry on a long cam
paign; that it Is so deficient in gaso-
line and oil that her aviators cannot
fly the necessary training hours:
that food might become very scarce
within three months after a conflict
begins; that the Italian people are
opposed to war seems to make nc
difference Mussolini wants to cash
in the chips he won at Munich.
The world is dynamic. Its con-
ventional map is changing all the
time New empires are being carved
at the expense of the old. The down.
trodden are becoming rulers. Recent
and old injustices are being mended
The old order is changing. Germany
Italy and Japan-three poor but
hard-Working and determined ma
tions-are taking their deserved
place in the sun. No force in the
world can stop their progress.
Only One Speaks for Italy.
The high Italian official who spoke
to me cannot be named because only
one man in Italy can talk to tht
world-Benito Mussolini And he
is not talking any more unless hi
gives an order. II Duce, emulatine
his colleague, Hitler, remains in Sc.
clusion either in Rome or the Italian
Berchtesgaden, Rocca della Cami.
nat. Wherever he may be he is NJ
longer accessible to the ordinary
mortal. Gone are the days wher
Mussolini used to enjoy good argu.
ment with newspapermen or tran.
sient foreigners. He has learned
from Hitler that being too human
hurts dictator.
Some responsible high official!
who are vaguely in Mussolini's con.
fdence occasionally express Italy!
hopes and ambitions, provided they
remain anonymous. Otherwise they
keep silence. Nobody wants to leave
the pleasant social life of Rome fol
the burning sand heaps Of Libys
with herds of goats and few Arat
nomads as their only companions
Italo Balbo is still there because
some years ago he spoke out o1
turn.
The italian government and it,
subservient press are on the wal
path these days. The Italian people
are not. But that, in the opinion
of observers, does not matter much
for the time being. The people o1
Italy will answer unhesitatingly I
Duce's mobilization call
Wants Pay From Hitler.
1t is an open question whether
Mussolini wants to push things tt
war with France or anybody else
All he wants is to be repaid for tht
support he gave Hitler in the pas,
and obtain from the French thu
port OF Djibouti and certain conces'
sions in Tunis. The optimistic bet
ting in official quarters is five to ont
that he will get away with it.
Mr.. Chamberlain's visit is awaited
here with impatience. The Italian!
feel that he will not be difficult Il
convince that for the sake of Euro
peon appeasement France mus
make some concessions.
The British premier announced
that he was going to Rome withou
a plan and without an agenda. Mus
solini has both. The plan was Il
flatter and threaten the maker o.
the Munich peace; to show him tina
he must do something to prevent
the Italian people from going on thu
war path with its inevitable catas.
trophe. Mussolini's plan was not tt
talk about anything definite like thu
cession of Djibouti. Italy's partici
patton in administration of the Sue;
Canal or autonomy for the italians
in Tunis, but to convince Mr.. Cham
berlain that a conference Of the foul
signatories of the Munich pac,
should be held at the earliest pos
sible moment.
If Mr.. Chamberlain we're to agree
to get the French into such a par