Evening star., 1954-08-19
'Alcide de Casper Dies at 73;
Eight ime Premier Of Italy
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2 am. today and died an hour
later after still another seizure
His family was at his bedside.
Mr.. De Gasperi had stepped
down from the titular leader
ship of his pro-Westerh, middle
of -the-road Christian Democrat
Party-Italy's largest-a little
more than a month ago.
He ended his 712 years as head
of the Italian government year
ago, in July. 1858. after losing q
confidence vote in the Italian
parliament. But his party sup
piled succeeding cabinets and q
protege Of Mr.. De Gasperi. former
Interior Minister Mario Scelba,
now holds the premiership.
Mr.. Scelba hurried here from
his own vacation spot.
One of the first to send con-
dolences to the De Gasperi fam
lily was Pope Plus II, from whose
Roman Catholic flock the Chris
tian Democrats drew their
strongest backing. The pontifl
in 1949 had decorated the then
Premier with the Grand Cross OF
the Plan Order for his work In
the cause of Christianity.
"Gesu! GeSu! (JeSus! JeSuSi)'
were Mr.. De Gasperi's last words
just before he died, his family
reported.
State Funeral Planned.
Mr.. De Gasperi's wife, whom
he married in 1922. and two OF
his three daughters were with
him when he died. A third
daughter is a nun in a convent
near Rome.
Premier Scelba's Office In
Rome said Mr.. De Gasperi would
be given state funeral, unless
he had left other instructions or
his family objected.
Free Europe's leaders united
in mourning their comrade. none
more than his longtime associ-
ates at the Brussels conference
West German Chancellor Kon-
rad Adenauer, himself rs,
termed, Mr.. De Gasperi's death
"a very great loss for Europe.
and added, ''It Is a serious blow
we have to suffer"
Belgian Foreign Minister Paul
Henri Spaak, a pioneer leader
of the Council of Europe, termed
Mr.. De Gasperi "the most intel
ligent, most skillful, most honest
and most courageous statesman
of these days."
Was Foreign Minister.
Known in the troublesome
early days of the Italian repub-
lie as the master of political
compromise, Mr.. De Casper
changed later to become a two
fisted foe Of the growing menace
of communism.
The tall, hawk-faced leader
/ first became premier in Decem-
ber, 1945. because he was leader
| of Italy's biggest party. A noted
anti Fascist imprisoned often by
Mussolini, he had served since
the previous April as foreign
minister.
In his first two years as pre-
mier he tried to work with his
nations Communists and fell
| low-traveling Socialists, but in
| the Spring Of, t947 abandoned
the effort and in the 1948 elec-
tions inflicted a smashing de-
feat on the Reds.
For five years after that Mr.,
De Gasperi fought the Reds at
every turn, battling to keep his
nation closely allied with the
United States and the anti Com
munist West, pushing the cause
Of European unity.
Brought Italy Into NATO.
It was he won in 1949 brought
Italy into the North Atlantic
Alliance against Communist ag-
gression, a charter member OF
NATO along with nations who
had been at war with italian
Fascism only a few years be-
fore
Mr. De Gasperi was one OF
the leading spirits in Western
Europe's stumbling progress to-
ward unification. The Schu-
man coal-steel plan, the Coun-
Gil of Europe and the six-nation
European army all received his
enthusiastic support and he
made Italy a participant in all
of them.
Honoring his pioneer work, the
Coal-Steel Assembly last May
elected him its president. Iron
ically, he died only a few hours
before the foreign ministers OF
Italy and the five other nations
of the projected European De-
fense Community gathered in
Brussels at meeting which may
mean the death of the long
cherished international army
plan.
Urgently Backed EDO.
Mr.. De Gasperi fought for the
European army almost to the
hour Of his death. Only last
night he made an impassioned
telephone call to Premier Scelba,
telling his protege that it was
urgently necessary" to solve the
problem of the EDO.
"If the European Defense
Community is not accomplished, y
he said, "only God knows what
will happen"
Those who reported his tele-
phone call, made soon after din
ner, said that Mr.. De Casper
was on the verge Of tears.
Under Mr.. De Gasperi's lead
ership. Italy became one Of the
most politically stable countries