Categoric Nevers

Last week a small olive branch sprouted in the bramble of French-Italian difficulties. In a week when Benito Mussolini was expected to press Adolf Hitler for some cooperation on the short end of the axis there came at least four gestures of moderation.

Early in the week a Frenchman named Hubert Lagardelle, who lives in Rome and hobnobs with Signor Mussolini, went to Paris supposedly charged with a secret mission. Before long everyone knew the secret. He called on a Daladier lieutenant, Public Works Minister Anatole de Monzie, and suggested that he tell his boss the time was ripe for Paris to woo Rome. Next day King Vittorio Emmanuele read his mild-as-milk speech before the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations. Day after that France's Ambassador in Rome, Andre Franc,ois-Poncet, called on Crown Prince Humbert at the Quirinal and chatted 20 minutes.

Finally, Signor Mussolini himself, speaking before 65,000 Blackshirts in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Fascist Movement, did not list specific demands on France, as expected, but merely repeated many a Mussolini bromide: the axis is strong, the democracies are wrong, the Mediterranean is Italy's sphere of influence, Italy's biggest wish is peace and biggest need is more ships, cannon and airplanes. Specifically on the subject of Mediterranean conflicts with the French, he said openly that the next move was France's:

"The French Government is perfectly free to refuse even a discussion of these problems as so far it has done with its too-often reiterated and perhaps categoric 'Nevers.' But will it not regret if the breach presently dividing the two nations becomes so wide that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to heal it?"

At week's end France was confident that a satisfactory deal could be made with Italy which would necessitate giving up only a few of the concessions demanded by Italy--such as a free port at Djibouti, the Addis Ababa railway, and a share in the Suez Canal. But England was confident three weeks ago that Adolf Hitler would behave himself. As for the Italian people, they were anxious for glory but somewhat jittery. Signor Mussolini closed his speech with an old Fascist motto: "Believe! Obey! Fight!" The Italians knew whom to obey, but just what to believe and whom they would have to fight was a big mystery.

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