Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-16
Bremen
Forts Seen
AS Axis Rift
MussoIini May Be Ready
tor Separate Peace
BY PAUL MALLON

BY PAUL MALLON
UASHINGTON. oct Is Mus
w Solinl has been capering
around TO Nazi cocktail parties
Strengthening Axis social ties.
while his army has been erect
ing new Notifications at Bren-
ner Pass. the single gateway
through which the AXIS con-
meets.
This pulling report has
reached the top men here from
an unquestionable official au-
thority in Rome.
The obvious suggestion it con-
VeyS, namely that Ii Duce might
be planning defense rreSiSta aen-
against his busy brother at the
Russian front. is of course diff
cult 10 rationalize with the COM
pletely demoralized state of the
Italian army
But if Mussolini's generals
-foresee the possibilities ef
separate peace or an internal
uprising which would throw
Italy into resistance against the
ANS. the heaviest possible forti-
fication of the Brener would be
tho first step.
Officialdom here is merely
perplcXed by the information
and hopeful
TllE completely confused state
Il of the Italian nation is dem
onStrated by the meager dis
patches filtering through a rigid
censorship. At the bottom of the
unrest is a food problem which
Will approach the crisis this
Winter,
The anti-Nazi bloc Of Italians.
which has been cowed into 81
lence until recently, is openly
rising. Disturbances in Turin
and Milan are powerful mani
ieStationS that this group is
gaining The courage for out
spoken resistance.
The Nazis have been expecting
the worst from their useless
allies since they moved their
official and unofficial Gestapo
in upon Mussolini early in the
war. But there are not many
German soldiers now in Italy.
The Nazi crowd holding down
the Fascist lid there is composed
of civilians. Hitler has
been required 10 use his soldiers
elsewhere.
60 FAR all that Italy has been
- getting out of the Axis re-
lationship is coal. And the coal
is being used largely TO manu-
facture articles to be shipped
back 10 Germany. The Italians
are also sending some fruits,
and olive oil TO der
fuehrer in the face OF the food
crisis and sharpeSt rationing.
1t is thus becoming increas-
ingly plain 10 the Italian work
ing men that this deal in which
sold them TO Hitler is
not working out as anything like
the Italian boon IL Duce claimed 1
when he told it TO them.
ENRST evidence OF political
l. trouble in Spain has also es-
capped the censorship there A
slight crack is becoming notice.
able down tho middle OF the
,olidifcd victorious Fascist ma
chine
on one side are number OF
army generals. disturbed by the
interference of the political lead
arS who are organized into a
party group Gas distinguished
from the military group as in
Germany. Four generals have
openly exhibited their diSpleas-
IRE at the power Dictator Franco
h as been delegating to the
FalangiSts.
THE tokens which Churchill
4 is slipping TO Stain have not
been all advertised from the
start There is reason TO be-
lievc. despite the reccnIconfuS-
ING reports and denials, that q
formidable force of Canadians
was slipped around the NaziS
into the White Sea area of Russia
some time ago A rainbow army
OF free NoTwegianS, SwedeS,
Danes has followed or will fol-
low.
The movement started with
dispatch oI several hundred
British tcchniclanS and work.
men who enlarged tho dock
facilities and prepared The way
for receiving large patches of
supplies
Around the back Of tho busy
Germans facing Moscow. the
British and Russians have thus
established q large and adequate
port, ice-free for Winter. Use
Of MuImanSk which is wholly
ice-free is restricted by the fact
that the railroad TO Leningrad
has been cut Just north Of the
city Archangel. however. can
bo kent onion all yaar by tho