Evening star., 1941-01-24
Says ItoIy's Plight
Is Tragic
Fascist Defects Regarded
As Results Of Failures
Of MussoIini
By Gdetano Sdluemini.

~ GQeLlnO SULDeTIlHt.
When things go right, everybody takes
the credit. When things go wrong. those
who are responsible begin to quarrel and
ask who was the guilty one. This is the
| significance of the shake-up that took
| place last December among Italy's mill
tary chiefs. The chief of all italian
armed forces, Marshal Badoglio, the
| governor of the Dodecanese Islands,
Count de Vecchi, and the chief of staff
| of the navy resigned. De Vecchi has
! always been considered more loyal to the
King than to Fascism; he is one of the
Kings men.
Did these men really resign?
1t Is an open secret in Italy that when
he wants to get rid Of some high official,
| Mussolini first announces through the
| papers that the victim has resigned and
his resignation has been accepted, and
then sends the letter of resignation for
| signature to the victim. It is true that
an official communique was issued on
December 9, after Badoglio's resignation,
| to the effect that Mussolini had re-
| ceived Marshal Badoglio and engaged
| him in cordial conversation But this
| also may be one of Mussolinis we'll
| known mystificationS. The news may not
be true. If it were not, however, Badogio
| could do nothing to counteract it. No
| paper would publish his statement.
Be that as it may, another feature of
| the recent shake-up deserves particular
| attention. The designations and the ap-
| pointments of successors were announced
| with the formula: by royal decree which
is about to be signed" Royal DEGREES
previously had been announced only af-
ter they were actually signed by the
King. In December, 1910, for the first
| time the public officially was notified
that the King would sign royal DEGREES,
not before, but after, they had been en-
acted. In short, the King was reduced
not only de facto but also de jure, to the
| position of rubber stamp. Resigna-
| tions and new appointments had taken
| place over his head AS result of the
unpleasant military situation and of the
restlessness that is spreading throughout
the country we properly may surmise that
the military chiefs have begun to WON
der whether Mussolini perchance has
not become the wrong horse to back.
General Graziani's report on the de-
| feat at Sidi Barrani on the frontier be-
tween Egypt and Libya is further proof
| OF the fact that recriminations between
Mussolini and the highest military chiefs
nave become too bitter to be kept secret.
In his report Graziani maintained that
| the British attack of December 9 did not
take him unaware. He did not explain
| now an attack that he had foreseen was
| so instantaneous and successful that
the British bagged $4,000 prisoners, of
! whom $4,000 were Italians. It is obvious
that Graziani wanted to suggest that the
responsibility for the disaster must be
borne by those who were on the spot
and did not watch the movements of the
enemy as they should have done.
So far, Graziani was criticizing his
subordinates. But he blamed Musso-
lini as well. When he stated that he
was unable to make further progress
on the Egyptian frontier owing to the
lack Of transportation, Graziani wanted
to make clear the fact that the govern
ment in Rome, that is Mussolini, left
him in the lurch instead Of supplying
him with all means necessary for the
| advance.
In the case of the failure of the army
in Greece, the military chiefs insisted
that they were not responsible. But
one OF Mussolinis henchmen in Italian
! journalism, Signor Farinacci denied
this and asked what they had done
| with the nine billion dollars Mussolini
had given them with which to prepare
| the war.
Signor Farinacci forgot that the
highest military chief in Italy is Mus
solini. The Duce has been for many
years Minister of War. He has chosen
| the other military chiefs. He has con-
centrated in his own hands all civil
| and military powers. He cannot now dis
claim responsibility for what is hap
pening either In the military or in the
| civil sphere.
Future events are unpredictable The
future is soWn with seeds of infinite pos
sibilities. After things have happened,
historians find out why they happened
and why they had to happen in that
way. But before they happen, our fore
casts are but guesses.
The only statement we safely can
make is that in the quarrels between
| Mussolini and the military chiefs there
may be the seeds of important develop
ments. The King may be influenced by
the military chiefs to adopt a more
virile attitude toward Mussolini
The problem, however, which con-
fronts the military leaders and the
King cannot readily be solved. A die
tator like Hitler or Mussolini cannot
be dismissed and returned to private
| life like the president Of a democratic
republic.
On the other hand a military con-
spiracy against Mussolini and a military
coup d'etat against the Facist party
could take place only If the army chiefs
took the initiative.
Will they?
Hitler is at the Brenner Pass. And
German agents control the most i'm
portant centers of italian life. On the
day the italian government wavered
IN its loyalty to the German alliance,
Hitler would march on Venice and Milan
without further ado.
But meanwhile, Hitler is interested
in stiffening italian resistance as much
as he can, by sending Mussolini all
kinds Of military help in 50 far as 1t
/ L.