Evening star., 1940-10-04
Big Things in 0ffing,
As ParIey Result,
Nazi Circles Assert
Invocation Of Spy Lows
Threatened if Premature
Revelations Continue

Threatened 1t Premature
Revelations Continue
| b the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Oct. 4.-German au-
thorized sources declared today that
the very fact that Adolf Hitler and
| Benito Mussolini were meeting to-
gether in the Brenner Pass was
indication that big things were in
the offing which might become evi-
dent soon.
These sources expressed the great
est Indignation that the meeting
was revealed prematurely, saying
any movement of the chief OF state
was a military secret.
They declared that in event of q
repetition they might invoke Ger
| man espionage laws, under which
they said, foreign journalists will
fall as we'll as anybody else.
The security OF the country is en-
dangered by such premature revela-
tions, they said.
Events Cast Shadows Before.
AS for the significance of the
Brenner Pass conference, these
sources said:
Remember that when both
statesmen met last July the enemy
power was in bad shape. Events
have way of casting their shadows
before them"
Extremely reticent regarding the
Brenner meeting, these authorized
sources pointed out merely that all
of the conferences between Hitler
and Mussolini, of which this is the
sixth, have resulted in axis action.
Berlin political circles, comment
| ing on the official reticence, noted
that "it never has been the habit OF
the two associated powers to blare
out the themes of their discussion
before they have become visible and
effective, either as to political OF
military facts"
The newspaper Nachtausgabe said
the Brenner negotiations were start.
ed in Rome when the preliminarie,
of the me-Berlin-Tokio alliance
were completed, were continued In
Berlin last week when the pact was
signed and form the basis of the
| present negotiations between the
Fuehrer and II Duce at Brenner."
Two Questions Face Leaders.
Before the axis leaders lay at
least two questions now uppermost
in European political discussions:
/. When and under what condi-
tions Spain might act to open the
way for the axis powers to strike
at Gibraltar, Britains fortress
guarding the western entrance to
the Mediterranean.
2. What course the axis powers,
particularly Italy, would pursue re-
garding Greece.
On the eve of the impending
meeting Spain was thrust into the
picture anew by the decision OF
Generalissimo frances envoy, Ra-
mon Serrano Suner, to remain in
Rome two days longer for rest and
recreation"
A German dispatch from Rome
said Serrano Suner was likely to
/ have further conferences with
italian Foreign Minister Count
Galeazzo Ciano.
/ The Spanish envoy spent several
days in Berlin conferring with Hitler
and German Foreign Minister
Joachim Won Ribbentrop just before
the announcement of the German
Japanese-Italian tripartite pact last
! Friday. Then he went to Rome fol
a similar series Of conferences with
Mussolini and Ciano.
Germany Ready to Act.
! German sources say Germany Is
in position now to act with Spain
to close up the Gibraltar outlet OF
the Mediterranean. Not only has
the Reich supply of heavy caliber
guns and ammunition to move to the
Spanish coast opposite Gibraltar.
these sources aver. but also the
enormous booty of French siege
/ guns and ammunition surrendered
on the western front.
These would be available, they
said, either to pound down. Gibral-
tar's defenses or to make it impos-
sible for the British Mediterranean
fleet to exit through that outlet.
German and Italian newspapers
have asserted that Spain already Is
in the axis front. Moreover, Ameri-
cans and other neutrals have re-
ported increasing difficulty in OBJ
tanning visas to pass through Span
ish territory.
There has been a flood of rumors
of strengthening Of Italian forces
in Albania along Greece's vulner-
able northwestern frontier, accom-
panied by Rome newspaper protest
that Greece had failed to act ag-
gressively against alleged British in
cursions violating her neutrality.
The Italian drive into Egypt
toward the Suez Canal presents an
other subject for possible discussion
between the axis chieftains.