Evening star., 1948-04-18
Decision Duy in Italy

Todays elections in Italy constitute one
of the decisive events of history. Their
fateful bearing on the future can hardly
be exaggerated. They involve far more
than the fortunes Of a single people and
country They involve the fortunes OF
all OF Western Europe. Indeed, it is no
exaggeration to say that their outcome
will have profoundly important effect on
the shape Of tomorrow's world and on the
question whether mankind Is to move for
ward toward an enduring peace or drift
slowly but surely into an annihilating war.
For what is fundamentally involved
here is the issue of Soviet aggression
against western acknowledgements
aimed at making Red totalitarianism the
master Of the globe Should the Italian
Communists win, the consequences will
add up to more than the absorption Of
Italy into the Kremlin's satellite empire.
The consequences will Immediately expose
France to the same fate. They will open
the road to Moscow's dominance of the
entire continent. They will give the Rus
sian tyranny unprecedented strength in
the Mediterranean. They will strike a
body blow to the effort to preserve the
independence of Greece and Turkey. They
will create a grave new menace in the
strategically crucial Middle East. In short,
they will have such threatful meaning
in terms of the world balance Of power
that the United States and other free
nations, for the sake of survival, will have
to ready themselves to cope with the real
possibility of an early war.
Fortunately, last-minute forecasts in
Italy indicate that the Communists will
not win majority and that they may even
lose ground. In that case, Premier de
Gasperi's coalition of Christian Democrats
and lesser anti-Red parties undoubtedly
will continue to exclude them from the
government. But that does not justify
complacency or reckless optimism. The
Kremlin's italian fifth column is ruthless
and well organized. It has trained fighters
and arms. It has control of most of the
country's labor unions. If 1t wins sizable
minority vote and II Moscow gives the
go-ahead signal, it may demand key
cabinet seats in preparation for an even
tual coup, and it may answer any refusal
with civil war. Or If not that, then it may
u141Coo14 a SdA1PoAS1 VI oobOoo6S oAAA 49,
dustrial strikes designed to reduce Italy to
a state of chaos and paralysis. Accord
ingly, even If today's elections result in
a great and resounding victory for free
dom, some time will have to pass before
the world can be sure that the Com
munists will not 60 all-out in an effort
to turn that victory into ashes.
This is a threat that the de Gasper
government must be prepared to meet
with the help Of other free governments,
notably our. own. The United States and
minded nations, If they are to be
safe, cannot stand by and let Rome fall
to Moscow All signs indicate that the
Italian majority will vote for decency and
liberty today. Under no circumstances
must the Communists be allowed to re-
verse that decision. If they try force,
they must be crushed with greater force.
Otherwise the future of Western civil
ization and the outlook for world peace
will be dark in the extreme. The situation
allows no other Interpretation.