Evening star., 1946-06-02
Italian, French E Votes
Provide Tests Today
OF Leftists' STRENGTH
By the Associated Press

Will De PROVIDED IN elections IN Italy
and France today which will have
a profound influence on the future
of those two nations.
In Italy 28,000O00 voters, with the
women outnumbering the men by
100000, will decide whether they
want to retain the royal house of
Savoy which forged the country's
national unity rs years ago. They
will also elect a constitutional as
sembly to write the political, social
and economic principles of the new
Italian state. Clashes marked elec-
tion eve in Milan.
In France and throughout the
empire 100000 voters will elect a
constituent assembly to try again
to write a constitution for the
Fourth Republic.
Pope Plus XII in a worldwide
broadcast yesterday took cogniz-
ance of the elections in both coun-
tries. He did not mention Com
munism or any party by name, but
said the voters would choose between
the champions and wreckers of
Christian civilization"
Americans Watch for Trends.
American officials are keeping
close watch on the balloting in
France and Italy for evidence of
trends which may shape the history
of Europe for many years.
Perhaps first in the minds OF
State Department officials and for
eign diplomats here is the question
of what strength the Communists
will show. That, taken in conjunc-
tion with the degree of acceptance
of Russian policies in Eastern Eur
ope, may be a determining factor
in the direction of future Russian
American relations.
That is because American diplo-
matte authorities appear convinced
that Russia's plans for spreading
her influence in Europe by the use
of troops combined with political
pressure in the East, and through
Communist party activities in the
west, is not working out as well as
Moscow had hoped. They also ap-
pear to be of the opinion that
modification of these policies might
provide a way toward friendlier
Russian-American agreement on the
problems of Europe.
Loan Announcement Significant.
The voting in France is perhaps
critical in this respect. 1t evidently
was no accident that Washington
officials finally got through ST.
400,000,000 loan and credit for the
French in time for a election
announcement early last week.
The evident American hope is that
the Communists will not show ex-
traordinary strength nor yet lose so
heavily as to endanger their posi-
ton in the leftist coalition gov
ernment.
Government experts on France
say the Communists are now so
strong in the political life in the
country that no government could
long function in opposition to them.
And American policy, authoritative
informants say, calls for the de-
velopment of a strong France poll
tically stable with traditional demo-
cratic concepts.
Showdown For Leftists.
Major decisions affecting the fu-
ture of France will be made in the
empire wide elections, with the re-
suits expected to provide a definite
showdown between the Communists
and the Socialists.
Former Premier Leon Blum,
whose Socialist party in a bitter
prediction campaign charged the.
Communists with following Soviet
policy too closely, declared that the
election has implications even be-
yond the French empires borders.
Mr.. Blum, just returned from his
successful loan mission to America,
told the nation in a radio address
that Europe and the world are
looking for their constitution, like
France"
He said a wrong decision" by
the voters could render Frances
position difficult at the next session
of the Foreign Ministers Confer
ence, and facilitate "the division of
Europe and the world into antago-
nistic blocs-a division which would
have repercussions on the interior
of each country"
20.000,000 to Go to Polls.
Mr. Blum did not specify that "a
wrong decision" would be Com
munist victory.
approximately 100000 voters
will go to the polls throughout the
French empire, except in Indo-
China and Reunion Island, to
choose from more than 5000 candi-
dates for the 586 assembly seats.
1ndo-China is regarded as to un-
settled to vote, and Reunion Islands
vote was postponed until June Is
following the Staying of a Popular
Republican candidate while making
a campaign speech in the Indian
Ocean colony east of Madagascar.
The five major parties in the cam
paign are the Communists and So
cialists, both left; the Republican
Rally, center-left; the MRP (Popu-
lar Republican Movement), center;
and the PRL CRepublican Liberty
Party, right.
Clashes Occur in Milan.
Clashes between Monarchists and
Republicans broke out in Milan on
the eve of Italy's plebiscite on
whether to keep the House of Savoy
or to start back on the road from
Fascism and defeat under a re-
public.
The Italian news agency Ansa
said King Umberto II, whose fate
will be decided at the polls today,
was forced to leave the Milan
Cathedral through an underground
passage after demonstrators broke
through a police Gordon as he ap-
peared at the cathedral door.
Clashes had been going on in the
huge Duomo Square while the king