The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-07-30
Italy Merits Respect,
 Aid of Sister Nations
People Admit Error in Early Part of War, But Played Glorious Part in Vanquishing Nazis; Nuns Heroic

New Haven, Conn, July 30-Italy is deserving of the serious attention of the powers as nation of citizens who went down into the shadows and have come long way back with little fanfare and with little encouragement from the world in general"
 Authority for this statement is Deane Keller, Associate Professor of Drawing and Painting at Yale Uni Yersity who returned recently from service as an Army Major in Italy and Chief of the Section of Monu- ments and Fine Arts, Allied Military Government, with the Fifth Army. He spoke over the Vale Interprets the News" program. -
 Commenting on the actual physic- al reconstruction of the country, Mir. Keller pointed out that the Italians have not been idle, have not just squatted inertly on the rubble piles and Wept and moaned. But things have not been nearly right in Italy.
 Country Completely Stripped
 Materials and material things are crying needs. The country was strip ped dry of things to do with. In the campaign the Italians wanted for pay, not money, but food. The need is the same now: for materials of all kinds.
 Their governmental problems and those of general organization are complex, but if given encourage ment in concrete terms they will be eager to resume their place among the respectable nations"
 Turning to a consideration of the Italian people themselves, MT. Kell- CT said that the large majority are willing to admit their mistakes, that they are many and grave. But they were undeniably co-belligerents on the Allied side for long time.
 The blood of the Partisans and Of the Italian soldiers was spilled in sufficient quantity during the war in Italy. It is common knowledge that the work of the Italian Parti- sans aided materially in softening up the German and Fascist resist ance in the north"
 He declared that among the spec fife groups of Italians who did well by their country, the Carabinieri, the A.M.G. Police Force, must be accorded a special word. A.M.G. never had to ask the Army Con- mander for troops to do civilian po- lice duty.
 Valiant Volunteers Fight
 "A group of Carabinieri volunteer ed to stay on the terrible Anzio beachhead in the early months of l945. They will abide forever in the hearts of A.M.G. officers and men and those of the fighting forces of the Fifth Army as devoted, brave, body of men who under trying con- ditions increased great risks for the salvation of their country and their countrymen.
 Another group deserving of the highest praise were the Sisters oi the Church, particularly those as- signed to the hospitals. Under fire with patients who needed food ano medicines and did not have them in the filth of war condition they stuck to their posts, nursed patients without even water supply, buried German dead.
 They were pitifully thankful when the Allies came with food ano medicines-not for themselves-but for their patients.
 Their spirit is well portrayed by the story of the Mother Superior o1 Convent near Leghorn when con- fronted by a group of German soldiers intent on entering ane footing. She held a Cross in one hand and a pistol in the other, tolo them if they entered they would get both.
 Fields, Mine-Studded
 :" In the Appennines in the Spring of 1945, the tanks hac scarce left their parking lots Wher the farmers appeared with ploughS and crop was taken from the soi that year. In the fields, the peasant prodded for mines with long sticks found them, removed the detonators