Evening star., 1942-05-25
Vichy-Rome-BerIin

WHY NOi1IODCIIIu
Current reports from European
listening-posts throw lurid light on
the inter-relations of that macabre
trio, Vichy France, Fascist Italy and
Nazi Germany. Those reports open
a wide field for tantalizing Specula-
ton as to how much is truth, how
much deliberate propaganda, and
how much potential double crossing.
On it's face, the news depicts Italy
as determined to grab Immediately
from France what Fascist spokeSmen
call "the rightful fruits of victory"
Those fruits have thus far been with
held from Italy by the restraining
hand Of Germany, her Axis partner.
1t should be remembered that, though
France collapsed in June, 1910, be-
fore German blows, the armistice
was made with the Berlin Rome Axis.
Technically. the Vichy regime was
obligated to both. But 1t has been
Germany which has consistently
regulated the French situation, in
Guiding the military occupation Of
more than half of France, and the
virtual annexation of Alsace-Lor-
raine to the Reich. Italy, which con-
tributed little to the campaign be-
yond immobilizing a minor part Of
the French Army, had to content
itself with a token occupation of
some small frontier districts in the
Alps and disarmament commission
in French North Africa.
AS time passed, the consistently
wretched showing made by Italian
arms automatically degraded Fascist
Italy into a mere appendage Of Ger
man power and awakened the sus-
picion that Germany might regard a
"co-operative" France as a much
more desirable partner, to be favored
accordingly. That has been one of
the chief arguments put forward by
pro- German Frenchmen. And it is
doubtless one Of the bats held out
from Berlin.
Nearly six weeks ago Pierre Laval
took Office at Vichy. That was gen.
orally considered the prelude to full
cooperation with Berlin. But the
weeks have passed, and nothing
much has happened. Recently, COM
plants and yelled threats have ap-
peared in the German press that
Laval was not delivering the goods"
Now Rome has revived the cry for
French spoils, vividly expressed in
Foreign Minister Ciano's mouthpiece,
Relazione Internazionale, which
charges Laval with double dealing
and goes on: Laval and his gov
ernment forget they are nothing
more than administrators Of ma
terials and territories of which the
victorious Axis powers can dispose
.. The Italian people demand
from France fulf1llment Of their ter
ritorial unity" And other Italian
papers demand direct action, even
by force of arms.
What does all this mean? It is
hard even to guess. Perhaps it is a
squeeze play, engineered from Berlin
and using Italy as the lever to force
Laval to do things that willy intriguer
Is seeking to evade. Perhaps, again,
it is done with Laval's assent to ex-
cuSe himself to the French people
for being compelled to do those very
things in order to avert Frances
further dismemberment. Perhaps
Berlin has allowed Mussolini and his
regime to talk big, and even to act
big in small way, in order to
hearten the Italian people, disguised
and disillusioned as they are with a
war which has brought them nothing
but misfortunes and humiliations. It
is almost unthinkable that MusSolini
would dare to act, or even talk, in
way which would displease Berlin or
upset its plans.
Whether this is mere journalistic
tempest in teapot, or whether it
heralds some important diplomatic
move, is yet impossible to say. But
it certainly reveals the basic relations
between France, Italy and Germany,
rooted as they are in mutual fear,
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