OVERTURES TO ITALY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 April 1940, Page 2

OVERTURES TO ITALY

(Continued from page 5.) CLEAR SPEAKING URGED BY DR. DALTON. EXPRESSION OF FRIENDSHIP AND WARNING. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 20. Speaking at a Labour meeting, Dr. Hugh Dalton said: “There is uncertainty as to Italy's intentions and it is our duty to speak quite clearly. Our war is against Hitler and his barbarian hordes. We neither desire nor seek any other enemy. But we shall not run away from any allies whom Hitler may collect. We are mentally prepared for all possibilities. “In the North Sea we have destroyed most of Hitler's fleet, and British and French sea power can now be strongly reinforced in any other sea. A strong army stands in Syria and the adjoining lands, i "I myself love Italy and her undying memories of fighting side by side with brave Italian soldiers in the last war. As comrades in arms we retreated together and advanced togethei’ and conquered together. For me and countless other Englismen it would be a much sadder thing to be at war with Italy than at war with Germany. May it not come. But if it comes, we shall face is without fear and with no flicker of hestiation.

“I believe in my heart that destiny intended Englishmen and Italians to be friends. We all owe an immeasurable debt to the civilisation of Rome and Italian genius through the centuries in the arts, literature and science and the constructive achievements of modern times. Italy's place is not at the side of a barbarian staggering to his doom.”

MISREPRESENTATION OF NEWS. The Preffe gives growing attention to the anti-British tone ‘of the Italian Pres, and in particular to the complete misrepresentation of the news of recent naval engagements.

The Rome correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" answering the question, “Where Does Italy Stand?" which was asked by the Minister of Economic Warfare. Mr. Cross, in his speech on Wednesday, says: “The .differential treatment of news and its presentation in a way to suggest that one side is constantly triumphant and the other reeling under one blow after another from its adversary, is doubtless to be accounted for by the fact that Italy

does not consider herself to be a neutral country. Rathei’ does she regard herself as an ally of the enemy of Britain, France, Poland and Norway.” The “Daily Mail" says editorially: -Perhaps the Italian newspaper campaign against Britain is designed to help Hitler by diverting our attention from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. If this is really so, the manoeuvre failed before it began. Mr. Churchill reminded the.world that the Allied navies were strong enough to fight successfully in Norway and at the same time control the Mediterranean. The* odds have swung even more in our favour since nearly half the German fleet has been put out of action. Or perhaps Italy is firing warning shots in the Press to pevent the Allies marching into the Balkans. Britain and France have no intention of doing so unless German marches first. Not one of these States, sair Mr. Chamberlain yesterday, has any' cause to fear that the Allies oi their forces will threaten their independence or integrity.’ FANTASTIC FALSEHOODS. In Italy the greater part of the Press is giving prominence to German reports of successes in Norway. One paper describes the battle at Narvik as a brilliant victory, and says that 0000 British troops were killed. Nothing is known about this in London, where it is described as “fantastic." This followed an article in the "Giornale d’ltalia" last night. The article appeared to be less hostile to the Allies, and denied that Italy might make a demarche to Great Britain about the extension of the Allied blockade and the activities of the new trading corporation in the Balkans. Signor Gayda. in the same paper, states that Italy's Mediterranean policy was a policy not of domination, but of collaboration with other Powers. A good example of the blunder into which part of the Italian Press has been led by the campaign to bolster up German claims is seen in a weekly illustarted paper, which publishes a half-page photograph of an aeroplane, and writes of its performance of transporting German troops to Norway, but the plane in the photograph contains the markings of the Royal Air Force. Evidence that Lhe Italian people are I becoming more and more distiustful of German reports is to be found in the extended circulation of one newspaper which gives objective news. It is the Vatican paper "Occervatore Romano." which is now selling moie than 120,000 copies daily—more than ten times its normal circulation. , The official Italian denial that tne arival of a German military mission in Rome is anything more than a matter of routine is accepted with some reserve in the British Press. The Times" and the “Daily Telegraph" suggest that Germany would like to involve Italy in the pesent struggle if she could find a way.