The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-16

ROSeVelC a 1UU-PdS0 4CGICI the British.
 When and if this is published, it will make some of the Greek trou- bles with the British look rela- lively pale.
 Amongt he grievances Bonomi outlined to the White House are the terms of the Armistice forced upon Italy by the BritiSh-with American acquiescence. The armistice terms have never been published, and one big reason is thatt he Allies are fearful of public reaction to the frankly irl- perialistic demands of Churchill.
 It calls for the ceding by Italy to the British of the island of Pantelleria, just south of Sicily. This tiny island-only 58 square miles-would make the British constant military threat to Italy.
 Churchill demands it, how ever, in order to safeguard the "iugular vein" of the British empire, the sea lange through the Mediterranean to Suez. And considering the difficulty Bri- tish shipping had going around Africa during the early part of
 the war, some U. S leaders think he is right.
 The Adriatic port of Trieste will be taken from Italy and made an international free port. and the armistice also provides for re- linquishing 8 part of the Italian breadbasket, the Piedmont, to France.
 To sweeten the pill, the Italians were promised that the terms Of the armistice would be frightened in proportion to the degree of help they give the Allies in the rest of the war against Hitler. But, Bonomi points out, the Bri- tish have limited the Italian army to mere II, 100 troops and insist upon disarming every guerrilla or partisan fighter in the area when-I ever the Allies take new town.
 So complete is the British con- trol that last spring, when So- viet Russia announced Russia announced recognition of the Badoglio government, Badoglio was advised few days later that he had no right to deal with any other government, Allied or not. Author of this note was L. Gen. Frank Noel Mason MacFarlane, then deputy president of the AL lied control commission for Italy. Result was that although recogni- tion of Ialy was announced in Moscow, no ambassador has been sent to Rome, nor has Italy ever been permitted representation in Moscow.
 SECY FORRESTAL UNBENDS
 Secretary of the Navy Jim For restal really turned on the charm when he lunched with the Texas congressional delegation on Capi- tol Hill. The Texans had thought of Forrestal as cold-fiSh Wall Street banker, but after brief speech in which he shower them he knew how to cGss in Texas style, they revised their ideas.
 Forrestal's talk, which was a closed-door session. began with a story of how he landed on Pa- cific Island during an inspection trip. His plane dropped down on 8 tiny island taken by U. s. forces only a day or so before. It was night. and from the beach the party had no idea how to reach the command post. But For restal came upon a signsl corps telephone. put in call.
 Came back . slow drawling, "WhO Is this ah'm talking tO?"
 With great dignity he piled, "thls Is the Secretary of the Navy"
 "If you ain't kiddin', what in
 the (censOred arc you dOin' way ont heah?" came back the Voice.
 "And that, gentlemen, was the voice of a Texan" FOrrestal con- cluded. "And 1t was typical of Texas and 8 large part of the south. This country has the South 10 thank in large part for having been as we'll prepared as it was when we got into this war. While the rest of tine country was arguing about is0la- IatiOn and neutrality, the South was raring to go out and get MT. Hitler"
 Chairman Carl Vinson of the House Naval Affairs Committee was luncheon guest, along with Navy veteran Warren MagnuSon, now Senator from Washington and a former member of the Naval Affairs Committee. Nodding dip- lomatically toward Geogia's Vim son, Forrestal said:
 ''It was the fighting southern spirit of MT. Vinson which en- abled us to pass a good deal of pre-War naval legislation with out which we would have been helpless at the time of Pearl Harb0r."