CIANO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 July 1940, Page 2

CIANO

DISAGREEABLE SON-IN-LAW. GREAT CONFIDENCE TRICK. Mussolini’s entry into the war in the role of jackal to Hiller's tiger has exposed at last the secret “works” of Count Ciano’s famous speech last December. Even amid the terrible shocks of conflict, that speech deserves retrospective notice. The line of insinuation adopted by the “Duce s disagreeable son-in-law” was conceived with criminal brilliance, and confirmed the dangerous belief that Italy would “listen to reason” instead of fighting the Allies. How effective, if proved, may be judged from the amazing fact that during the first nine months of the war (that is, while Mr Chamberlain was still British Prime Minister and M. Daladier Premier of France) the Allied blockade was so relaxed for Italy that she was able to build up her war stocks, and raise her petrol from a fortnight’s supply to a quantity sufficient for several months. Ciano’s speech was delivered ostensibly for the purpose of explaining why Italy hadn’t gone to war by Germany’s side immediately, last September. It hinted at severe limitations of the Italo-German understanding. It suggested in well-chosen phrases: (1) That the war had caught Hitler unprepared. (2) That Italy had a right to keep out, because Germany had brought on a crisis before the agreed date.

(3) That Italy had reason to be offended by short notice from Germany of the Soviet-German pact. (4) That Mussolini had worked really hard to restrain Hitler from attacking Poland. , Ciano appeared to give away everything —Italy’s box and dice, and Germany’s too —when he “revealed” that Italy and Germany were agreed on “the necessity of maintaining peace for a considerable time in order to .. . perfect their internal reconstruction, and to complete their military preparations.” “The period,” he said, with marvellous “candour,” “was estimated by Italy at three, and by Germany at four or five years . . .” The speech (and the line of- propaganda developed round it) now proves to have been one of the greatest confidence tricks in history. Italy took hex- time and sharpened the knife for her stab in France’s back. Hitler apparently planned to withhold his attack in the west until Italy had the knife ready. His own inactivity in the meantime, seemed to bear out Count Ciano’s “revelation” that the Reich was not ready, and so, after all, he gained the advantage of surprise in a war where he seemed to have forfeited it. True, his pending attack in the West was suspected; but its weight and violence were not.