ITALY: Cheka

Following the attempt to assassinate Premier Mussolini a fortnight ago (TiME, Nov. 8) his adherents staged demonstrations of almost fanatical devotion to II Duce throughout Italy last week.

At Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, even foreigners found it necessary to perform smartly the Fascist salute whenever a band of cheering patriots rushed by carrying a Fascist flag. Dr. Leonard S. Rau, a physician of Lawrence, Long Island, was one of those who imprudently neglected to salute a Fascist banner in Rome. Since the doctor is 65, he was able to make but slight resistance when a Fascist youth knocked off his hat and another struck him with doubled fist upon the temple. Mrs. Rau, with great presence of mind, shrieked “Americano! We are Americanos! AMERICANO!!” Thus appraised of the nature of their prey, the Fascists let goof Dr. Rau, passed on.

“Tsarol Decrees.” Premier Mussolini, apparently reacting to the seemingly boundless devotion of his followers, called his Cabinet together and issued a series of decrees which the official Fascist press hastened to deplore as “too mild.” Actually this “emergency legislation,” announced to continue operative for five years, will render* the Premier very nearly as absolute as was poor Nicholas II, last, demented, murdered Tsar of all the Russias.

Decrees Summarized: 1) The Premier will appoint from the Fascist militia the personnel of courts martial which will hereafter deal according to wartime military law with all who are charged with “political crimes”; 2) Political crimes are elaborately defined, embracing at one extreme, attempts upon the life of the Premier, and at the other “the spreading of exaggerated reports”; 3) Of other “new crimes” perhaps the most notable consists in belonging to an anti-Fascist organization of whatever sort, which will be punishable by imprisonment at the discretion of the court martial; 4) The death penalty (heretofore abrogated) will be revived in the case of traitors, rebels and persons who attempt the life of the Premier, King or Crown Prince.

Supplemental Decrees: 1) Further curtailment of the already drastic restrictions on Italian emigration passports, which now make it virtually impossible for others than Fascists to leave the country; 2) Dissolution of all parties opposed to Fascism, and suspension of all opposition newspapers; 3) Creation of a special Fascist political police, virtually a Tsarol “Cheka.”

International Significance: The decree laying down penalties of from 5 to 15 years’ imprisonment for spreading ”exaggerated reports” about Italian affairs contains the following remarkable clause: “Any citizen or foreigner who commits the before-mentioned crime abroad will be punished by this law in Italy whether or not already punished abroad.”

This amounts to a defy to the governments of the world, for it flatly infringes the rights of foreign nationals as they are understood in international law. An Iowa farmer who writes an “exaggerated report” about his Italian farm hand to his brother in Timbuktu might under this law be imprisoned for 15 years should he ever be caught in Italy.

Obviously the enforcement of the law will not be carried to this ultimate extreme; but there are sure to arise many cases involving U. S. newsgatherers and others in Italy which will tax the statesmanship of Secretary of State Frank B. (“Nervous Nellie”) Kellogg.

National Significance. Premier Benito Mussolini took over one more cabinet post (his seventh), the Ministry of Interior, last week, in order that he might personally control the new campaign against his adversaries, a major part of which will fall within the scope of this department.

Former Minister of the Interior Luigi Federzohi, “the Vatican’s soft-speaker” (TIME, July 12) resumed his onetime post, the Ministry of Colonies.

Thus the Premier will directly appoint the officers of his new cheka or political police. Hand in glove with this organization will work Secretary General Augusto Turati of the Fascist Party. Last week Signer Turati almost foamed at the mouth as he shouted, “Death to II Duce’s enemies!” before numerous public assemblages. Fired with super-loyalty he even hinted at traitors within the Fascist ranks, proposed to weed out one-fourth of all enrolled Fascists as belonging to this suspicious category.

Climax Capped. To cap the climax of judicial suppression there followed a Cabinet decree postponing for ten years the payments due from the State to holders of Italian five and seven year Treasury bonds. This postponement was effected by announcing that there will be compulsorily exchanges for every 100-lira bond of the series affected a 116½-lira share in what will be called the “Lictoral Loan”, maturing ten years hence. The new loan will carry 5% “interest, payable semiannually and will be tax exempt.

Finance Minister Count Volpi described the “Lictoral Loan,” effecting more than 20 billion lire of securities ($880,000,000), as “perhaps the most formidable financial conversion ever undertaken.”

Anticlimax. No more shall Italians bestow “ridiculous, shameful, or subversive names” upon their progeny; no more shall lowly men call their children by heroic names as the U. S. lowly name their children after George Washington. Thus spake Benito Mussolini. Their Duce.

*After it is approved by Parliament (now a mere oppositionless rubber stamp) which was ordered last week to convene shortly in extraordinary session.