Evening star., 1943-09-28
Italy as "AIIy"

The precise status of those Italians
who have broken with the Germans
and rallied to our side offers a nice
problem in diplomacy. After the
sudden seizure of Rome by German
troops, the government headed by
Marshal Badoglio and the royal
family headed by King Victor EN-
manuel vanished into thin air, so far
as the world at large was aware.
They are now disclosed as being in a
town described as somewhere in
Southern Italy" but which is pretty
obviously Brindisi port town near
the tip of the Italian "heel" in the
province of Apulia, which is thor
oughly in British hands.
This reconstructed regime is giving
itself the manner Of a government,
with the tacit acquiescence of the
Allied authorities. 1t was from the
nearby Bari radio station, likewise
IN the British sphere of occupation,
that Badoglio made his recent broad
cast to the Italian people urging
them to make common cause with
the Allies in every way. In conse-
quence of his orders, the Italian
troops on Sardinia and Corsica
turned against the German con-
tingents in those islands and facili-
tated their rapid reduction by Allied
forces. All this has been encouraged
and praised by President Roosevelt
and Prime Minister Churchill, who
have likewise urged the Italian peo-
pie to oppose the Germans. In his
recent speech before Parliament, Mr..
Churchill declared that "it is neces-
sary In the general interest as well
as that Of Italy that all the surviving
forces in Italy's national life should
be rallied around their government,
and that the King and Marshal
Badoglio should be supported"
What the Badoglio regime obvious
ly seeks is acceptance as an ally and
member of the United Nations. 1t
has been revealed that the marshal
sought that during the secret nego-
tiations which preceded the capitu-
lation, though publicly he strove
merely to withdraw from the war
and assume a neutral status. The
Allies insisted upon unconditional
surrender" which would leave them
a free hand not only for the military
use of Italian territory against Ger
many but also to impose such po-
litical and economic peace terms as
they might subsequently see fit. On
the other hand, they did not demand
that the Italians join them in the
war against the Germans. Those
were the terms which Badoglio ac-
cepted.
Now, however, the Badoglio regime
has voluntarily thrown whatever
resources it has on the Allied side,
and Is seeking to capitalize upon
those services to gain diplomatic
recognition and acceptance by its
former enemies. Meanwhile, the
Germans have set up revived
Fascist regime in Northern Italy,
headed by the rescued Mussolini,
which seeks to rally the Italians to
it's banner. Both regimes have mu-
tually denounced each other as
traitors. Somewhat illogically, the
Badoglio regime has not yet formally
declared war against Germany,
though troops and ships loyal to it
are fighting German forces in Italy.
It is interesting to note that the
Allied occupation forces in Italy do
not seem to welcome the idea Of
accepting Badoglio and his followers
as allies. The Eighth Army News,
the official newspaper of General
Montgomery's command, frankly
condemns the idea, which would en-
able the Italians to escape the con-
sequences of their war making along
side Germany. Similarly, AMG
officials who arrived in Southern
Italy expecting to take over the
administration as in Sicily, resent
being sidetracked while the Badoglio
officials are retained in office. One
high AMG officer has resigned and
others are reported as "lounging
about" saying: well, this is pretty
comic war We came here to do
Job but find we are not allowed to
do it."
All this shows what political head
aches lurk in the path Of our Euro
pean invasion. The complications
which arose in French North Africa