Evening star., 1943-08-01

feated: if he is murdered or commits
suicide we shall be saved q lot of
trouble.
But suppose he fees to a neutral
country? The President has said
that for neutral country to harbor
him would be regarded as conduct
inconsistent with the aims of the
United Nations, which is polite dip
lomatic notice that we will not stand
for any such nonsense. As a prac-
tical matter, however. there are
military factors involved which may
be worth examining.
The handiest neutral country for
MuSsolini to run to is Switzerland.
Historically. the Swiss always have
given sanctuary to political refugees,
and they have been very tough about
it even under considerable pressure
from enraged great powers. just
how the present Swiss government
would regard the arrival of the
wretched Mussolini is hardly open
to question-they would consider
him an intolerable nuisance, and If
they could prevent him from coming
into Switzerland at all they would
doubtless be very glad to do so.
But suppose he did get in-would
they give him up at our demand?
Nazis Might Invade.
Undoubtedly they would be under
the strongest pressure from Ger
many to give him sanctuary-the
German war lords may indeed be.
thinking in terms Of i possible
Swiss asylum themselves.
How far would this German pres
sure go? In the military sense.
Switzerland Is important to Ger
many as commanding the best lines
of communication between GERMANY
and Italy. The Swiss are prepared
to blow up the railway tunnels
which control this German Italian
traffic at the first hint of a German
threat to their frontiers. AS long
as Germany and Italy are allies, or
as long as Germany is trying to de-
fend any considerable part even of
Northern Italy. the maintenance of
commercial traffic on these railways
is of great Importance to the Ger
mans.
If that traffic became military
traffic pure and simple, however, the
Swiss would doubtless feel con-
strained to deny it passage Ger
man-Swiss relations might easily be-
come more difficult, and if the Ger
mans felt their military interest
would best be served by the reduc-
ton OF Switzerland to their full pos
session. they might seize upon
Swiss refusal to grant asylum to
Mussolini as valid excuse for inva-
sion OF Swiss territory-not that the
Germans need any excuse for out
RACES. But curiously enough they
always try TO find one It's quirk
OF the Nazi psychology which I will
leave it TO those learned in such
matters to explain.
Swiss Would fight Well.
Should the Germans be fully ex-
PEELED from Italy, bringing Allied
armies to the Franco-Italian from
tier, the Germans would be handi-
capped severly by the continued
existence of Switzerland as a neu-
trail power, for Switzerland would
then afford us protection to our
right flank and main lines of COM
munication through italy in any
operation directed toward the
French frontier.
However, there is always to be kept
in mind the fact that the Swiss have
a well-trained, well-equipped army
which on full mobilization can put
at least 10 divisions in the field. The
Germans. under existing conditions.
may not be too anxious to take on
any additional enemies, particularly
not to involve themselves in so for
midable an operation as the reduc-