Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-23

war.
War between Britain and Italy
came about because of one man"
and the people of Italy and
Italy's army never were con-
suited, Mr.. Churchill declared.
Surely the time has come when
the Italian monarchy and the peo-
pie who guard the sacred center Of
Christendom should have a word to
say upon those awe-inspiring is
Sues" Mr.. Churchill said. Surely
the Italian Army, which has fought
so bravely on many occasions past,
but now evidently has no heart for
the job, should take some care of
the life and future of Italy"
Mr.. Churchill said he spoke to
the italian people from London in
what diplomatists call words of
great truth and respect"
I'VE are at war-that is a very
strange and terrible thought" he
said.
Cites Old Friendship.
whoever imagined until the last
few melancholy years that the Brit
ish and Italian nations would be
trying to destroy one another? We
have always been friends our
fathers and our grandfathers longed
to see Italy freed from the Austrian
yoke and to see all minor barriers
in Italy swept away so that the
italian people and their fair land
might take their honored place as
one of the leading powers upon the
continent and as brilliant and
gifted member of the family of
Europe and of Christendom."
last war against the barbarous
Huns the British were the Italians
comrades, Mr. Churchill said:
Now we are condemned to work
each others ruin.
Your aviators have tried to cast
their bombs upon London; our
armies are tearing and will tear
your African empire to shreds and
tatters. I'VE are only now at
the beginning of this somber tale.
Who can say where it will end?
Presently we shall be forced to
come to much closer grips. How
has all this come about and what
Is it all for!
Says One Man Is to Blame.
italians, I will tell you the truth.
One man and one man alone has
ranged the italian people in deadly
struggle against the British EN-
pire and has deprived Italy of the
sympathy and intimacy of the
United States of America. That
he is a great man I do not deny.
but that after 18 years of unbridled
power he has led your country to
the horrid verge of ruin can be
denied by none.
ut is all one man who, against
the Crown and Royal Family of
Italy, against the Pope and all the
authority of the Vatican and of
Roman Catholic Church, against
the wishes of the Italian people
who had no lust for this war, has
arrayed trustees and inheritors of
ancient Rome upon the side of the
ferocious pagan barbarians"
There lies the tragedy of Italian
history and there stands the crimi-
nal who has wrought deed of folly
and of shame
The Prime Minister said the de-
tense put forward for Mussolinis
action was ''of course, the quarrel
about sanctions and Abyssinia"
through which "old friendships were
forgotten" 81 declare-and my
words will go far-that nothing that
happened in that Abyssinian quarrel
can account for or justify the deadly
strife which has now broken out
between us" he added.
Mr.. Churchill said that I'VE were
content with Italian neutrality" and
that during the first eight months of
war I'VE paid great difference to
Italian interests"
1T was not due to weakness" he
said.
THE French Republic for the mo-
ment is stunned. France will rise
again. The British nation and
commonwealth of nations across the
globe and, indeed, l may say, the
English-speaking world are now
aroused.
They are on the march or on the
move and all the forces of modern
progress and of ancient culture are
ranged behind them.
why have you placed yourselves,
you who were our friends and might
have been our brothers, in the path
of this avalanche now only Just
started from its base to roll forward
on its predestined track?"
To prove that I, Churchill, have
done my best to prevent this war be-
tween Italy and British Empire
the Prime Minister read a message
he sent to Mussolini May 16 and
what he called Mussolini's dusty
answer"
amy one can see who it was that
(see CHURCHILL, Page AID