Evening star., 1948-04-25


preaching impossibility. Too ma
figured in the result to permit a pre-
The net consequence, however,
things to come in the present colo
war, particularly on the eve of our
full-scale assault against commu.
nism through the European Recov.
cry Program.
L. S. Scurried Into Action
The material elements in the
italian picture are perhaps easiest to
recognize and to evaluate. In early
January, the United States and Italy
signed an accord under which in
terim American aid would be fur
nished Italy pending implementation
of the ERP. In mid-March, Secre-
tary of State Marshall pointedly
declared that if the italian people
should vote into power political
party (CommunistJ which has been
identified with hostility to the ERP
the only logical conclusion would be
that Italy had removed itself from
the benefits of the program"
Then, with a surge of action that
belied our too little, too late
habits, several positive develop
ments followed. President Truman
signed an executive order trans
ferring 20 merchant ships to Italy
Some of these and other ships were
loaded with foodstuffs and other
supplies and hurried to various
Italian ports for unloading and
distribution. A maximum candle
power of publicity spotlight was
turned on this whole operation.
Ambassador James C. Dunn
hitherto most dignified and
proper diplomatic servant, almost
literally rolled up his striped pants
and waded up to the knees in a
series of dramatic public appear
ances. American politicians, expe-
rienced in the technique of kissing
babies, could not have been more
ubiquitous nor effective
The Voice of America, undergo
ing a rejuvenation and transi-
tion to new administration under
recently appointed Assistant Sec
retary of State George V. Allen,
blanketed the Italian peninsula by
sbortWave radio The Worldwide
Broadcasting Foundation, through
Station WRUL, Joined in the bar
rage by air. Civic organizations,
veterans groups and thousands OF
Italian Americans threw them
selves fervently into the effort of
telling the Italian people of the
virtues of liberty and freedom as
opposed to totalitarianism. Once
again, democracy was "feXing its
muscles" and the ripples of strength
were obvious and heartening to a
people eager to vote their own fu-
ture for the first time in more than
two decades.
Trieste Offer Was Smart
The offer of the western powers
United States, Britain and France
to restore the Free Territory of
Trieste to Italian sovereignty was a
master effort of diplomatic ano
political strategy. The jubilant re-
action throughout Italy when the
proposal was first disclosed on
March 20 was unquestionably still
a weighty element when the votes
were cast a month later. The dis
comfture in Moscow and Belgrade
was obvious and these Communist
capitalists did not succeed in coun-
tering this particular move.
Moscow had made a comparable
and earlier, gesture in February in
a formal declaration of Russian
favor for an Italian trusteeship OF
the prewar Italian colonies. This
issue, however, does not seem to be
of such vital, or at least immediate,
concern to the Italian government
and its people as the disposition
of Trieste.
The western powers likewise gained
full effect from their support OF
United Nations membership for Italy
when the Soviet on April 10 exercised
for the 23d time their veto privilege
In the Security Council against
Italian admission. 1t was the third
time the Russian delegation had
blocked Italy's entrance into the
United Nations.
Perhaps more intangible but sure
to be of profound interest to the
historians was the intervention of
the Catholic church.
On March 10 Pope Plus carefully
urged upon a gathering of parish
priests that they should urge every
sincere Catholic to give his vote to
those that offer truly sufficient
guarantees for the safeguarding
of families and of society in keeping
with Gods law and moral Christian
doctrine. Without doubt the church
intends to remain outside and above
political parties. But how could We
remain indifferent on matters
which regard so directly the highest
religious interests and conditions
OF life Of the church itself in Italy?'
New Problem for the Reds
Both the church hierarchy anG
the parish clergy elaborated on this
admonition. Several archbishops
instructed the priests of thei,
dioceses to refuse absolution to
adherents of communism. A
lay organization, Catholic Action
plunged into the effort and was
considered highly instrumental il
the high proportion of the eligible
vote recorded on the polling days
In short, the Catholic church en-
tered the contest either by in
direct or direct contact throughout
preGominantly Catholic noDlla