Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-26
ItoIy's Gronchi Strives
To Attain Strong Regime
By MARY McGRoRY

1Co40C4Ab 434oCA4AlOWO4 WAN WA
come a fellow President tomor-
row. He is Giovanni Gronchi Of
Italy. who, like him, is a chief
OF state, but who. unlike him. is
not the head Of his government,
President Gronchi's duties are
largely Of O ceremonial nature
conferring decorations, receiving
delegations and presiding at such
events as the Winter Olympics
ut Cortina last month. Lately,
there have been b humber of
suggestions that Mr.. Eisenhower
OR any American President
be relieved of such chores. At
the same time. President Gron-
chi. q lifelong politician, has
been trying to make his office
count for more In Italian ma
tional life.
President Gronchi, unlike Mr.
Eisenhower. has few precedents
to guide him. The Italian Re-
public was proclaimed only after
World War II. His predecessor.
the elderly Luigi Einaudi. was
content with b kind of chairman.
of-the-board role. But Mr..
Gronchi, who. according to some
Italians, had hoped to become
Prime Minister, on being elected
President by the two houses Of
Parliament last April, asked i've
well-known jurists for their in
depreciation Of his powers
wide Powers Defined
They c6ncurred in q belief
that the Constitution granted
him wider powers than those
exercised by Einaudi, and despite
criticism from the rightist par
ties of italy tMr. Gronchi Is Q
Christian Dernocrat). promptly
began making good on his pro-
nouncement that he did not re-
gard his new ONCE as a Crown
ing sinecufe."
His Inauguration speech which,
as one observer delicately put
it, awas expected to be q formal
rehearsal Of the virtues Of par
liamentary democracy" was in
stead a highly specific speech
outlining the program Of the
government. It was more like q
state-of-the4 Union message than
o speech from the crown.
In the eight months since he
took Office, Mr.. Gronchi has been
one Of the most conspicuous fig
ures in Italy. His country's best
orator. he has made numerous
speeches, in chich he has no.
tably not confined himself to
harmless generalities about home
and mother. At a review Of troops
In Southern Italy recently, where
. simple well done" would have
sufficed, President Gronchi ad-
dressed the soldiers at length.
At a meeting of Italian projects
provincial officials) he spoke
forcefully about the need of
preserving civil liberties.
Helps End Teacher Strike
As further evidence that he
Intended to be more than the
Representative Of the national
unity" required by the constitu-
ton. President Gronchi last fall
received a delegation Of teachers
representing the profession as q
whole which had gone on strike
for the first time in Italian his
tory. He exerted his influence to
bring about o settlement.
Then, again he invited to the
Quirinal. the presidential palace.
the ambassadors and foreign
ministers Of the diplomatic corps.
He requested them to brief him
on international problems.
For these and similar moves.
The parties Of the right have
criticized Gronchi, charging he
has exceeded his powers. But his
followers say that Mr.. Gronchi's
actions reflect not q greed for
power but a philosophy Of BROAD
1ening the base Of government
and so rendering it more stable.
A Fervent Catholic
A fervent Catholic. not anti
clerical like many European
Catholics and a founder Of the
Catholic Party that was the fore
runner of the Christian Demo.
Gratis, President Gronchi is polit.
ically d leftist, who favors deer
social reforms and IAN opening
to the left" His attempts tt
WOO the Nenni Socialists from
their usual comradeship with thu
large and powerful Italian Com.
munist Party is regarded as q