The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-07-18

ly in charge in Paris, but OF course
as mere factotum Of Fuehrer Hit
Ter, is regarded as no great improb-
ability. II won't be a very dignified
role for Pierre, II the story's true,
but It's spoken Of as about the best
bargain he can make for himself.
assuming an Axis victory, which
he is on record as expecting.
The Bern report that Spain's do
tator, Caudilla Francisco Franco,
plans 70 restore the former Bour-
bon monarchy on his side OF the
Pyrenees, with the crown to be
worn by former King Alfonso's
third son, Don Juan, count Of Bar
celona - now in Swiss exile - is
more Of puzzle.
Some commentators, however,
think they see an imaginable con-
nection between this yarn and an
earlier one, also OF Swiss origin, to
the purport that Duce Mussolini
has been trying to federate Italy,
France, Spain and Portugal into
Latin alliance OF their own. not
with a view to attacking anyone.
but for their united defense, in the
event Of developments that he's
supposed to be apprehensive of.
Duce Fears Hitler
The reasoning back Of this guess
Is that Benito now Is more afraid
OF Herr Hitler than he is Of the
democrac,es.
If the Germans win the war, the
presumption is that they'll esti-
mate the Italians as having been
played for suckers, but will feel no
bitter resentment against EN-, or
even against Mussolini personally.
perhaps. deeming him fsthead
rather than a scoundrel. Musso
really seemed a fairly decent chap
early in his career, as a newspaper
man and a budding economist,
back in the days when Italy ur-
gently needed a big dose Of liberal
economics and he administered II.
not incompetently, until he went
cuckoo.
He doubtless realizes that the
democracies won't blame the bulk
Of the French. Laval?-yes, but
not many other Frenchmen.
Neither will the Spaniards be on
the black list. Boss Franco will
rate as an individual undesirable,
but not his people generally. Con-
trariwise. they fought him, as long
as they could, like fury. And the
Portuguese, within the limits Of
their small capacity, have been dis
tinctly pro-democraic.
So it would appear that Benito
figures II win be highly desirable
for him 10 be Latinly aligned with,
provided the democracies lick the
Axis.
Does Duce Fear Victory:
But what I think Is that the
Duce is a darned sight more fear
full Of an Axis victory over the de-
mocracies We democrats don't en-
vision II as so much as a risk
only as an awful bother to be dealt
with. Benito, though. unquestion-
ably Is scared by the mere concep-
ton Of ii. His dope Is, to a certain
ty. that victorious Reich's imme-
date next step would be to gobble
up Italy. and what he wants to do
is to consolidate the Latins against
this whole Latin crowd and I'm
gambling that he means 1t.
That he's made overtures 10 his
brethren strikes me as quite posi-
Bile.
Apparently they haven't taken"
with Pierre Laval, who's more Of a
Nazi than he is a Frenchman.
Maybe they have taken with
Caudillo Franco, who perhaps is
more Of Spaniard than he is a
Spanish Falangist. Spain over
threw monarchy and became a
republic--a blamed radical one.
Franco, a reactionary. rebelled In
ternally and set up dictatorship.
He did il with German and Italian