Evening star., 1944-06-18
BY NEWBOLD MOVES. Jr.,
Star War Correspondent.

ROME, June / delayed d.)-When
we came into this city, there was
a man In hysterical state who
greeted us. He ran along beside the
jeep in which I was riding, shouting
over and over For us the war is
finished now"
At the time it seemed obvious
what he meant, but now that we
and the Romans know each other
a little better, 1t Is not nearly clear
Judging from what I have seen
here since the 5th Army's entry
into the city, it appears that the
man, must have been one of these
three things: Cd Actively anti
Fascist, (2) Very poor or, 90
Talking through his hat.
1t is painfully obvious that for
the fashionable-the people who
made this place the nerve center
of Fascist Italy-the war never did
exist in the sense in which 1t
existed and continuous to exist for
the rest OF the European world. !
don't know much about what
Miami looked like last winter, but
have a fair idea, now that ]
have seen Rome this spring.
1t is lovely here. The sky is deep
blue and the air is warm. the old
part of the city is beautiful-the
new part is beautiful. There are
wide, clean streets, fresh green
trees. They say that If you look
you car find one or two places in
the city where bombs landed by
mistake, but I have yet to talk
to anyone who actually has found
these places.
Fashionable Bars Thronged.
Up and down these streets undef
these trees, the Romans promenade
with leisurely grace----well dressed;
well fed, well satisfied that the war
has passed them by. You may gu-A
long way in this battered world rte
find SO large a number Of sleek, chic
women. You catch the scent of ex-
pensive perfume as they drift by on
the arms of their eloquently elegant
swains. If a doughboy should
chance to whistle at one OF them
adnfir1rigly she Is frankly and graei-
ously amused.
1he fa6hionsble bars, cafes and
hotels are doing very nicely. N
Rome there Is plenty of good food
and drink fof those who can afford
1t and there seem to be plenty who
can afford 1t. Reversing the usual
pattern for newly occupied city,
prices in some of these establish
ments have fallen of since we ar
rived. This is partly because the
Army had to impose ceiling prices in
some instances but partly, too, be-
cause the surprised authorities found
the American soldiers simply could
not pay the prices to which the
trade was accustomed.
1t is place of strange contrast
In the first days Of occupation,
when our Army was still moving
through In pursuit Of the enemy, in
the beautiful lounge of the Grand
Hotel the gold and silver insignias
lO1 Il1SIl~l SOul0 VIC
seen in juXtaposition to the jewels
Of italian cafe society.
People sat in plush chairs quietly
preserving the seams of their stock
ings or the crease in their trousers
while they slipped amber -colored
drinks from tall glasses clinking
with ice.
But on dark street just around
the corner tank was parked for
the night and it's crew, unnoticed
by anybody, was huddled in the
gutter trying to get few hours
badly needed sleep.
Society Aloof From War.
People here do not ask you, as
they do everywhere else, how long II
will be before the end of the wal
or how the battle is going in Italy
or in France. They don't care. II
would be a mistake to suppose. OF
course, that all Rome Is as alooi
from the realities as are the leading
elements of its society. Nobody who
saw the reception our troops got
here the first day could ever forget
it and I don't think you could ever