Evening star., 1941-12-04
Plotting in ltoIy

The frank featuring of big
treason trial at Trieste is a highly
interesting development. That the
Italian censorship made no effort
to minimize the affair but allowed
full and detailed treatment in press
dispatches may indicate that it felt
concealment was impossible. How
ever, there are indications that the
authorities are also deliberately play
Ing up this particular conspiracy in
order to arouse Italian nationalistic
sentiment and thus bolster loyalty to
the Fascist regime
According to the press accounts,
the disloyal movement goes back
many years and centerS almost eX-
clusively in the region about Trieste.
This is the district, now known as the
Province Of Venezia Giulia but for
merly the Austrian Province Of
Istria, which was obtained by italy
at the close Of the first World War.
The population OF nearly 100000 is
racially mixed. Along the coast, in
cluding the cities Of Trieste and
Fiume, the inhabitants are largely
Italian speaking and traditionally
Italian in sentiment But the noun
famous interior, which rises sharply
from the marrow coastal fringe, is
chiefly Slovene, the northernmost
branch of the Yugoslav stock. These
people bitterly opposed annexation
to Italy, and Italian rule has done
nothing to change their sentiments.
for the Slovenes Of Venezia Giulia
have undergone the same process Of
compulsory "Italianization" as the
more publicized German-speaking
inhabitants Of South Tyrol.
The result has been chronic Slo-
vene unrest, undoubtedly aided and
abetted by the fanatical nationalist
secret societies In YugoSlavia which
precipitated the Great War by their
assassination Of the Archduke Franz
Ferdinand at Sarajevo. This Is by
no means the first conspiracy which
has been discovered in Venezia
Giulia, and for which conspirators
have died before firing squads. An
analysis Of the names of prisoners
mentioned In the press dispatches in
dicates that they are probably slo-
venes. The Italian form of these
names means little, since one of the
measures of "assimilation" decreed
by the government has been that
Slavic names must be changed to
Italian forms.
The important thing Is what con-
nections. II any, this local conspiracy
has with disaffected groups in Italy
itself. If it is essentially 4 Yugoslav
'irredentist" movement, the effect
on Italian public opinion will be to
rouse patriotic feeling and awaken
fear Of losing Venezia Giulia should
Italy be defeated In the present war
and Yugoslavia be restored. Reports
speak Of Communist participation.
This is probable, because the Com
munists are connecting links for all
sorts of seditious movements, and 1t
Is also known that Communist
underground activity has been pres
ent in Italy throughout the Fascist
period. Yet II Communism has been
the fringe rather than the heart of
this particular conspiracy, it can
make little difference as to the sig
nificance Of the movement itself or
as to its popular effects.
For many months, uncensored
news coming out Of Italy has related
growing dissatisfaction and unrest
over the war and the hardships it
imposes. However, the Fascist re-
gime seems to be strongly entrenched
in power and its secret police are
both efficient and ruthless. Further
more, Nazi Germany and its Gestapo
also are on the Job. This is the first
indication Of 4 well-organized mill
tant conspiracy on a large scale.
Until evidence Of linked or inde-
pendent conspiracies Of purely ltal-
ian complexion are discovered, 1t will
be perhaps wiser to consider the
Trieste treason trials as a local and