NO APPROACH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 July 1943, Page 3

NO APPROACH

yet made to allies by NEW ITALIAN GOVERNMENT. MR CHURCHILL’S STATEMENT IN COMMONS. Greeted by cheering, Mr Churchill made a statement regarding Italy in the House of Commons today. He said that so far there had been no approaches to the Allies by ' the new Italian Government, and thus no new decisions were at present called for.

If Italy intended to go on under the German yoke, the Prime Minister added, the Allies would continue to make war on her from every Quarter He repeated the Allies’ demand that Italy should unreservedly quit the Axis camp. Mr Churchill said Britain was in close contact with the United States on the Italian situation, and Russia was being regularly informed. The end of Mussolini’s long and severe rule oi the Italian people, with his police and network of spies, meant a new epoch in the life of Italy. The whole of the Fascist edifice was about to fall, if it had not already fallen. Important events were to be expected in this situation. In the course of his speech, Mr. Churchill said he did not wish to tread a path which might lead to execution squads or concentration camps—above all to our having to carry on our shoulders a lot of people who ought to be made to carry themselves. “Therefore” he continued, “my advice to the House of Commons, to the Nation, to the Empire and to our Allies at ( this juncture may safely be stated —we should, to use a homely phrase, allow the Italians to stew in their own juice for a bit and hot up the fire to the utmost in order to accelerate the process until we obtain from their Government or whoever possesses the necessary authority all the indispensible requirements we demand for carrying on the war against our prime and capital foe, which is not Italy but Germany. It is in the interests of Italy and the Allies that Italy’s unconditional surrender should be brought about wholesale and not piecemeal. Whether this can be accomplished I cannot tell. People in Britain and elsew'here who could not have the necessary knowledge of all the forces, or assign their true values, should at this juncture restrain in speech and writing anything possibly adding to our armies’ task. “We are acting in the closest concert with the United States and Russia and are being regularly informed. Moreover the British and Dominion Governments are in continuous consultation.” ,

Mr. Churchill said he corresponded almost daily with President Roosevelt. With the Cabinet’s authority, it might be possible for him to make a further statement, not only on the Mediterranean position but on the war generally, before the House rose for the summer recess, but he could not at present promise, because he did not know whether a point might be reached before next week from which a general survey might mostly usefully be safe.

Mussolini’s fall is believed to have been as unexpected to Hitler as to the rest of the world, says the "Daily Mail’s” correspondent on the German front. It is reliably reported that Hitler flew back to Berlin from his headquarters on the eastern front. This first comment received from Russia on Mussolini’s down-fall was made by a Moscow radio commentator, who stated: “The blows struck against Hitler at Kursk and Orel were echoed in Sicily and have continued to resound at Verona. This was the deathknell for both of the Fascist dictators. Hitler’s defeat in Russia has inevitably put an . end to Mussolini’s career. The whole Fascist bloc headed by Hitler is sick unto death.”

Reuter’s Ankara correspondent reports that Mussolini’s eclipse has caused the greatest excitement throughout Turkey. “Italy is done for” are the words on everybody’s lips. Turks everywhere congratulate the British and Americans.

In Sweden the Press unanimously interprets the Duce’s dismissal as a prelude to the rapidly-approaching capitulation of Italy.