The Democratic Offensive in Italy

...V' The Italian* know by now quite well that at least soma of the Allies, who entered Italy with the program of freeing the people from Fascism,' *r« willing to *ee the Italian* oppressed by neo-Fasrists, such a* - the King, Bedoglio and their group...

...The situation was so ripe that the new ministers obtained three big points without a light, an accomplishment which would have appeared to be impossible only a few days before...

...Some of them had fought well in the underground movement, but were almost entirely ignorant of the real political situation...

...ThE first act of this story constitutes the greatest debacle of the Italian anti-Fascists since the Rosselli murder...

...But some of his ministers prevented him from doing so...

...The exchange of Ambassadors among Italy, England and the United States...

...As a bit of gossip it is amusing to know that Bonomi was ready to give his oath to the Lieutenant General...

...not only for the part he took in the "stab in the back" of France, but also for his betrayal at the time of the armistice, when he was Commander of the Italian armies in the South...

...But Cianca's record in Italy had been clear, a record of opposition to all the political solutions which the British bad wanted to impose...

...The Democratic Offensive in Italy The Inside Story of the Fall of the Badoglio Cabinet By Lionello Venturi . HE Roo»*v*lt.Churehitl statement on Italy ol *| September 27, includes: 1 1) A recognition of the Iteliane' will to be free and to fight en the tide of the democracies, as demonstrated during the last twelve months...

...Panic never inspires wise political moves...

...But Mr...

...This supercilious statement is out of place after tha moral and material ruin brought to Italy by the Allies...

...Net known on this side of the Atlantic is a small fact, which became later "a seed beneath the snow...

...The real opportunity for building up a democratic Italy at this time appeared lost to all those who believe in the importance of those "ideologies," which Mr...

...It is useless for the Allies to make an effort to teach the Italian people democratic ways...

...In other words, /.'.triune accused Prince...

...Rome was at this moment held by the Germans, and the injunction of the Executive arrived too late in Naples...

...I mean the entrance of representatives of the six anti-Fascist parties in Italy into the third Badoglio Cabinet, with an oath to the King...

...Hot R is precisely this illegal character ef the formation of the Bonomi Government which giree it revemtieaery velee, a v*ln« which trans***** it* temporery mission...

...4) The sending of medical aid and essential supplies %UNRRA...

...Timtt Cianca and Croce war* much to* disgusted to wsnt U meet him...

...The points were these: I > The exclusion of Badoglio, despite the opposition of Victor Emmanuel and Mr...

...Bonomi himself...

...Italians have understood that they cannot oppose the Allies by force, but only by diplomacy...

...than th* Quebec conference *nd th* Roosevelt-Churchill statement...

...It seems thst s panic.spread in Naples among the Actionists, once they realized that a new Govern, ¦sent was on the point of being formed by the monarchists and Communists without the Actionists having any part or influence in it...

...The same paper, L'Azione, had attacked Prince Umberto on March 30...

...hence the debscle...

...Umberto of abandoning his men in the presence of the enemy...

...21 The oath of the ministers was sworn to the nation, and not to the King or Lieutenant General...

...Pacta being what they are, the Italians mast try to profit as much as they can, from the small possibilities afforded to them Aa example of their ability to resist foreign pressure oa their internal politics is the formation of the Bonomi Gerernment...

...The only solution would be to consider Italy an ally, as it U dt facto, and to extend lead-lease aid to it...

...This Committee was composed of worthy citizens, who had suffered many hardships under th* Germans...

...However, the true story of the formation of his Government has some fsvorabie aspects which deserve underlining...

...It was then that Reini proposed thst the new Government be presided over by a Chief of the Committee of National Liberation...

...milio Lussu, the Executive of the Action Party which was and is in Rome, had forbidden the entrance of the representatives of the party into the third Badoglio Cabinet...

...They avoided saying No to the Allies (and who would dare such a thing...

...and nevertheless when such a No was transferred into action, the Allies had to ascept the fait accompli...

...For a who!* w*ek the Allies withheld approval of th* new Government, and Italy had no Government at all...

...Conspqiiently, the American representative spoke first in the Allied Advisory Council, and be convinced th* others that the Bonomi Government ought to be approved...

...After Umberte's interview with it...

...Churchill to accept from Mr...

...Naturally, this caused a great deal of trouble to the Allied forces...

...The gravest consequence of this compromise was thst the anti-Fascists accepted the terms ef the armistice imposed on the Fsscists, as represented by the King and Badoglio...

...from all thit an* may draw hop* thai th* butt am of th* abyss in Italy ha* bttn tonchtd, and that th* b*gmning of an improvement it in light, Th* road will b* hard and long...

...They will have e great deal of patience...

...Churchill despises...

...Actually, a protest by Benedetto Croce (sent to the London Timet) as well as by the Government followed...

...Venturi is a distinguished Kalian exile who hss maintained contacts with leading political elements in Italy...

...ObVIOUSLY, the moral situation of Umberto was therefore so rotten that new possibilities were open when Rome fell to the Allies, Prince Umberto was nominated Lieutenant General of the Realm, and the third Badoglio Cabinet encountered in Rome the Roman Committee of National Liberation...

...3) The Constituent Assembly, which is to decide between a monarchy and a republic, wa* accepted as a national law...

...Thus a legal distinction between the treatment to be applied to Fascists and to anti-Fascists was annulled forever...

...Churchill has excluded this possibility...

...His stepping sside ateant an opportunity for opposition, even though only a narrow one...

...i I) The reconstruction of Italian economy through the restoration of power systems, railways, motor transport, road* and other means of communication...

...All this wss aggrsvrted by the explicit support given to the monarchy by the Communists under Toglistti's leadership...

...The representative of England demanded disapproval of the Bonomi (iovernniant and return to the Badoglio Government...

...There is no doubt that this Government was desperately weak until new, as has been explicitly admitted by Mr...

...Prof...

...It i* indud difficult to imagine anything lea* legal, less official and mora confusing than this proradur...

...He wa* **id to be affiliated with British interests...

...in an article in I.'Attune, May 6, 1944, he emphasised the anti-Italian stand of the Prince and requested the Government to protest against it...

...Fortunately Prince l/mberte, a stupid a»an, offered such an opportunity by giving an interview to the I (on Timet He affirmed n,,t the wsr against the Allies had been declared in accordance with the will of the Italian people, and that the King had merely bowed to the people's will...

...Churchill...

...Hence the severe criticism against him in Italy as well ar on this side of the Atlantic...

...In general France and Greece follow England, Yugoslsvia follows Russia, and the United States holds a rather isolated position...

...This article by Lionel Venturi is the first of a ¦eric* ef article* for The New leader on the inside political event* in Italy...

...Badoglio told them that Prince Umberto, the Lieuenant General, had asked him to form the new Government...

...A representative of the Action Party in Naples, whose authority was growing—Alberto Cisnca—had refused to enter the Government...

...Roosevelt the idea of a statement on Italy...

...And one may recall that it was General O'Dwyer's retort which created a scandal and compelled Mi...

...But Cianca informed them of the scandal Prince Umberto had created through his interview and the resulting incompatibility between a liberal Government and th* Prince...

...Omodeo snd Tarchiani, two members at the Action party, hsd sccepted appointment as miniaters...

...Churchill's resentment of the disobedience to his wishes was equally strong...

...Alberto Cianca wss the first to understand the political capital to be made out of such an interview...

...He wapted to help the Italians obtain a larger measur* of political autonomy, but was disturbed by th* rumor* coming from New York, regarding Alberto Cianca who wa* a pivot of the new Government...

...He escaped and abandoned his soldiers, thus enabling the Germans to occupy the lines above Salerno, which had been formerly occupied by the Italians...

...S) Encouragement to those Italians who stand for • political rebirth in Italy through handing over an increased measure of control to the Italian administrate* and through renaming the Allied Commission, no ieager a commission of control but, it seems understood—of collaboration...

...The fury of the King against his son for letting himself lie eliminsted so easily was great...

...Then cam* General O'Dwycr'* scandalous revelations...

...For the first tim* alar* th* leading ef th* Alii** an Italian Gov*reasent wes formed againat the will of the Allied Coalroi Commission, the Allied Advisory Council and, abov* aM, agsinst the will of Churchill...

...This was th* first tim* that th* United States mad* its will felt in Italian plitics...

...He left Italy after refuahtg to tske the oath of allegiance to Mussolini eed has lived in Paris and New York...

...This happened in spite of the decisions of the Bari Congress, snd despite what had been previously said against the King by all siiti-Fascists...

...They have made many blunders...

...This was not only an obvious fslsehood— for the Italian people's will could rwver be expressed under fascist rule — but also a cowardly attempt to shift the responsibility from th* King to the Italian people, particularly from Prince Umberto himself, who had chosen to command th* treacherous attack tgainat France...

...He waa for taany year* Profeeeor of History of Art and Culture •t the University of Florence...

...The Amorkan representative had been uncertain for some time as to what course to take...

...No doubt the statement betters conditions in Italy, even though it does not solve essential problems...

...Finally, th* decision was left to the Allied Advisory Council, with England, the United States, Russia, Fiance, Greece, and Yugoslavia represented...

...General MacFarlan*, the head of the Allied Control Commission, lost his job...

...Thus Italians ar* prepared to fight the neo-Fascists, as soon as th* eld Fascists of Mussolini'* cr* and th* Nazis have retracted beyond the Alps...

...Admiral Courten had a different reason: h« wanted to honor hi* old oath to the monarchy...

...Churchill'* trip to Italy followed, whan he discovered that Bonomi and Baacgtle are good friend...

...Badoglio consented to retire, and Bonomi, the Chief of the Roman Committee of National Liberation, was designated as Prime Minister...

...A visit to the Lieutensnt General was part of the ceremony of the oath to the nation, but three ministers refused to pay the visit...