Evening star., 1943-10-06
BY F1LIPPO BOJANO.

BY FILIPPO BOJANO.
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 80 by Wire
less to N.A.N.AD CDelayed)-As sud
den and ORE matte as it was. the
collapse of Mussolini and Fascism
was foreseen, at least inside Italy.
l senSed it when l visited italy in
the spring of this year. The country
had been cut to ribbons by air raids,
| Tunisia had been occupied. Sicily
was threatened and the people on
! the Italian mainland were suffering
misery. An irrepressible feeling of
hatred by the people against the
Fascist governing classes was emerg-
ing because the latter was indiffer-
ent toward tragic military reverses
and continued TRANQUILITY to sccumu-
late riches and lead life of luxury
while the people were fedslittle and
badly.
Mussolini let corruption and dis
order reign. Many Italians had for
| gotten him since they didn't know
where he kept himself nor did he
speak OF show himself publicly.
Somebody tried to talk him into
, taking steps. but he refused to call
the Grand Fascist Council. although
the military situation justified it.
He considered himself firmly estab-
llshed in his dictator position. In
stead of acting himself. he left the
party direction in the hands of Carlo
Scorza. a NaZiphile who received eX-
Nv If y np,t
to suppress discomfort.
Thus stood matters when the
Duce went to that historic July
meeting with Hitler to implore more
AID. This meeting took place not at
Verona, but al the Alpine village of
Fe,tre. in Northern Italy. The
meeting was GiSa Ster with the
Fuehrer telling the Duce in so many
words that if necessary the entire
southern portion of Italy should be
sacrificed to the Allies for the line
OF resistance in North Italy
Called Council Against Will.
On his return from Feltre Mus
Solini was obliged to call the Grand
/ Council against his will The party
itself insisted. This last session had
points both dramatic and comic
hitherto unreVealed. I saw the
minutes Of the meeting.
The Duce began with a lengthy
account of his conversation with
Hitler. Cvnlcally ne said that
everything must be sacrificed TO IA
cllltate Germany's war. Inside the
assembly the strong opposition. led
bv Dino Grandi and Luigi FEEDER
zonl, the latter vice president of
the Senate. aimed to force the Duce
to restore his power to the King
This opposition ma joritv included
also GaleaZzo. Ciano and Dino AL
1eli. although they were completely
ignorant of the plans OF Grandi and
Federzoni.
Grandl spoke immediately after
Mussolini had violently criticized
his whole policy. Vainly did the
Duce try to interrupt He turned to
Ciano with a Caesar-to- Brutus ses-
ture, exclaiming. This man be-
trayed me from the first day he en-
tered my family"
When Mussolini slurred the army,
71-year-old Marshal Emilio de Bono
jumped to his feet pointing re-
volver at the Duce and shouting,
Take those words back"
Count Cesare de Vecchi inter-
posed, L have known for 10 wears
that Mussolini was leading us to
ruin"
Minister FaintS Twice.
In the tumult that followed. Cabi-
net Minister Giuseppe Pareschi
tainted twice from overexcitement
During efforts to bring him around
Federzoni observed an attendant
enter and whisper something in the
ear OF Cabinet Minister Giuseppe
Bottai, causing the latter to leave
the room hastily. Federzoni lost no
time IN passing around a card on
which was written: Look out! He
has ordered our assasSina ton" But
Bottal was only called to the tele-
phone.
In the confusion nobody noticed
the disappearance of Roberto Fari-
''NSSA' ~ as lllcCCl WHO mao
introduced the motion asking Mus
solini to cede to Germany the COM
mand of all Italian military forces
Without waiting for the result of a
vote he sneaked out bv a private
staircase, motoring to the German
Embassy for asylum. A few hours
later a German airplane set Fari-
nacci down at Munich airdrome.
After the council had voted out
Mussolini he went home as though
nothing had happened. still consid-
erlng himself the dictator. What
he didn't know was that the Grand
Council vote legalized a previous Sc
cret accord between the King and
Marshal Pietro Badoglio, which
even Grandi was unaware of,
namely, that the King had given in
to Badogllos urgent representations
that MuSsolini must go for the good
OF the country.
Badoglio Shifts Key Officials.
While the dramatic session in the
villa of Savoia between the King
and the Duce was proceeding, Ba-
doglio was extremely busy making
imperative changes in key positions,
particularly that of the chief of
police. Signor Clerici was replaced
by DR.. Carmine Senise. Padoglio
wasn't giving Mussolini any chance
to start a civil war through the
New under-arm