Evening star., 1952-02-12
Con1monS Sense and Italy


OF 1947 has been pretty much a scrap Of paper
ever since last fall Accordingly, in now declaring
that the treaty's terms no longer obligate it to
the Soviet Union the Rome government has done
little more than set forth legaliStic justification
for de factos situation that the Kremlin has
rallied against before and can be expected to keep
on railing against.
Rome'S declaration in sharp note to
the Russian ambaSSador-haS been issued in re-
sponse to the Soviet Unions fifth veto Of Italy's
application for admission into the United Ma
tions. This veto has been exercised despite the
fact that the application has been indorsed by
every other member of the Security Council and
by the overwhelming majority of the General
ASSembly-and despite the fact, too, that the
Kremlin, as one of the signatories, has been
pledged under the 1947 treaty to give full sup
port to the Italian request for place in the u N
Hence, on the ground that the Russians have
thus offended the dignity of the Italian nation
and violated their pledge for the fifth time since
1947, Premier de Gasperis government has fatty
informed them that it can no longer adhere to
the treaty's terms bearing upon Italo-Soviet rela
tions. In other words, the terms-including those
covering not only rearmament but reparations as
we1I-have been rendered null and void by Mos
cows repeated refusal to carry out its obligation,
an argument certain to be vehemently rejected
by the Kremlin and likely to be debated at length
by numerous international lawyers
Legalistic questions to one side, however,
hindsight and the hard realities of the postwar
world have long since demonstrated the unwis-
dom and unworkability of the italian treaty.
That is why the treaty has been more or less
meaningless since last falls Ottawa Conference
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization unani-
mously approved the Anglo-French American
decision to eliminate the restrictions and dis
abilities" imposed upon Italy five years ago.
Needless to say, although invited to take part in
it, the men of the Kremlin have bitterly opposed
the revision, but it has become fact nonethe-
less and there can be no doubt that the NATo
alliance and the free world at large will strongly
back Romes abrogation action.
Some legalistic sticklerS may object, but the
Russians cannot do so with clean hands. For
they have morally disqualified themselves by
helping to rearm Hungary, Romania and Bull
garia in fragrant violation of the peace settle
ments with those countries. Certainly, in view of
thiS-and wholly apart from Italy's claim to full
sovereignty as loyal co-belligerent in the war
against Hitler and as true ally of the free world
against the menace of Red aggression-Weste
consciences would be absurdly ovefsensitive If
they felt uneasy about ending, without Soviet
approval, the arms and other restrictions i'm
posed upon the Italians In 1917 s. @
Above all, aside from the fact that it can be
well supported in terms of law, morals and the
simple justice that is owing to country plainly
entitled to simple justice the sweeping revision
of the 1947 treaty has been made mandatory by
the practical realities of Europe where Soviet
policy adds up to grave threat. AS a full
hedged member of the NATO alliance, Italy is
of vital strategic Importance to the Atlantic
community, and it is pledged to join in the COM
mon defense of that community Quite obviously,
therefore, the limitations decreed for it five years
ago have had to be removed to enable it to con-
tribute its full share to the cause of freedom
In sum, no matter how mucR the quibblers
may quarrel with all this, and regardless of the
legalistic hairsplitting it may arouse, ordinary
common sense has dictated the course that the
Italian treaty has followed. It is silly to argue
otherwise in the teeth of the Kremlin'S threatful
policy.