Long Summer's End

When courtly Antonio Segni was named Premier of Italy in July 1955, Roman wags, who did not expect his government to survive the summer, promptly dubbed it "the seaside Cabinet." Last week when Summer Premier Segni finally handed in his resignation, he had been head of Italy's government for 22 months--longer than any Premier since Alcide de Gasperi.

When Segni took office, the four-party coalition which had dominated Italy since 1953 was falling apart. Wispy-white-maned Antonio Segni, who looks like a Shakespearean bit-player on short rations, seemed the last man in the world to repair it. To everyone's surprise, he promptly staged one of the most skillful displays of dosaggio (division of offices among rival factions) in postwar Italian history, not only revived the coalition but even managed to push through Parliament a series of overdue measures.

Ironically, the ultimate causes of Christian Democrat Segni's downfall were de-stalinization and Russian brutality in Hungary. As the strength of the Italian Communist Party waned under these blows, so did the only real bond between the four center parties--the obvious need for "democratic solidarity" against Communism. Two months ago, convinced that the time had come to look out for its own interests in next year's general election, the tiny Republican Party withdrew its support from the government. The Vice Premier Giuseppe Saragat, who controls a pivotal 19 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, found himself losing control of his Social Democratic Party to young firebrands who wanted the Social Democrats to pull out of the government and rejoin the Red-tainted Socialist Party of Stalin Prizewinner Pietro Nenni.

Saragat, a staunch antiCommunist, who is not satisfied that Nenni has really broken with Moscow, managed to resist the pressure until last week. Then, seizing on the behind-scenes maneuvers of Italy's President Giovanni Gronchi (who not long ago outraged the Segni Cabinet by proposing to send a neutralist letter to Ike), Saragat suddenly charged that within the Christian Democratic Party itself there were forces guilty of "silent hostility" to Segni's pro-Western foreign policy. "For 22 months," intoned Saragat righteously, "we Social Democrats have kept the faith. Now we must withdraw." Left with only 275 out of 587 Deputies, Segni had little choice but to resign.

"I would like to return to my students," said old Professor Segni with a broad smile. For the moment, President Gronchi and resigned Premier Segni (who may be asked to serve again) were too busy welcoming French President Rene Coty to Rome to give any attention to forming a new government. Though Coty's state visit caught them in a Cabinet crisis, Italians were not embarrassed. "After all," said a Roman politician, "Coty is a Frenchman. He will understand."

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