Evening star., 1948-02-15
Seek
Front Victory
Socialists Claim Merger
With Communists Will
Give Them Control
By Fronk O'Brien

ROME. - Italy's pro Communist
Socialists hope they can help the
Communists to power as the leading
party in a far-left coalition in ma
tional elections due April 18. That
done, they are confident they can
prevent complete Communist control
of the nation afterward
This was the burden of an eve
ming of explanations undertaken by
Lelio Basso. secretary general Of
the extremist Socialist Party and
chief exponent of its electoral alli-
ance with communism. Basso in
vited small group of American
newsmen to dine after a national
congress of his party approved his
plans for a common front and COM
mon ticket with the Communists.
Basso's explanations boiled down
to two main arguments:
l. A front victory here would not
work out as 1t has in Bulgaria, Ro-
mania, Albania, Hungary Czecho-
slovakia and Poland because italy
is in the United States zone, not the
Russian.
2. Russia's intentions are peace
full. and she would not. if the Italian
front came to power. try. either
directly or through Yugoslavia, to
bring Italy under direct control.
Italy Has No Red Army
Basso, a rich man who has been a
lifelong leftist, parried repeated
questions as to how he hoped his
party-if the front wins-would sur
vive with, Don't compare Italy to
the Balkans. We are not in the
Russian zone, and do not have the
Red army here"
Reminded that Communist
prime minister in Italy-elected as
an avowed opponent of American
and friend of Soviet
Russia new democracy"-could
Invite" Russian or Yugoslav troops
into Italy to back Italian new de-
Basso declared:
"Russia's intentions are peaceful.
and neither she. nor Yugoslavia,
would invade Italy. Besides, don't
forget that we. the Socialists-with
other small parties in the 'front.'
would be opposed to that, and
would not allow it,"
Asked if that meant he was sure
the Communists in Italy would al
low western-type parliamentary
control to continue If they came to
power the Socialist leader replied:
Coalition Helps Socialists
Certainly. Besides, you are max
ing a mistake to think that front
victory would mean Communist
government. 1t would be cosH-
tion government, The Socialists
alone would represent about 20 per
cent of the working class vote, and,
in combination with the other small
ra-ties, we-not the Communists
would really be in control
What, he was asked, would the
socialists do If the Communists
made the police not parliament, the
real rulers Of the country?
That could not happen Basso
asserted. The Communists viii
not get the Ministry of Interior
(which controls police. That will
be ours. There will be no police
state if we win
Basso said the Socialists are not
really opposed to the Marshall
Plan. although the Marshall Plan
is a chief target Of the popular front
platform,
American Aid Needed
I'VE know, and the Communists
would have to recognize. if they
we're in the government, that Italy
cannot be cut off from its economic
orieatation toward the United
States. and must have American
aid. We are opposed only to con-
ditions attached to Mar2haH Plan
aid which would be an in
70 ion of our sovereignty"
Rasso said the far left considers
Ttaly's north and north-center-end-
ing somewhere between Florence
and Rome-"certain.' Rome and
south. he said, is the doubtful
,err1tory.
distributed by the A:S,0eia'sd Prs"'