British Commonwealth of Nations: Mediterranean Conference

Once there was a little Victorian boy whose father wanted him to become a great statesman. He was sent to Rugby, to aristocratic Trinity College, Cambridge. Then, in order that he might meet statesmen who really mattered, he went to Germany. He became almost intimate with Bismarck, a great feat for a stripling. The Kaiser himself was reported to have listened without displeasure to the conversation of young Austen Chamberlain.

All this pleased mightily Austen’s father, the late beloved “Joe” Chamberlain, Lord Salisbury’s great Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs. All this training in old school diplomacy seemed strangely passe last week when Austen Chamberlain grown up to Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, was called upon to deal with that smouldering son of a blacksmith,* Benito Mussolini.

Radioed Request. Signor Mussolini, who was carrying bricks as a stonemason’s helper when young Austen Chamberlain was Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1895-1900), cabled the British Foreign Office last week his desire for a personal conference with Foreign Secretary Sir Austen Chamberlain. Underlings at the Foreign Office palpitated, scurried. The request of Il Duce del Fascismo was coded, then put on the air by a potent wireless transmitter. The radio operator of Sir Warden Chilcott’s yacht Dolphin caught the message, carried it to Sir Austen Chamberlain. He, vacationing in Corsican waters, was soon steaming aboard the Dolphin toward Leghorn, Italy.

Meanwhile a special train hummed northward through the night from Rome. It carried Premier Mussolini, a box of orchids, and many an aid and minion. Soon the Italian naval yacht Giuliana steamed from Leghorn with Il Duce aboard toward the Dolphin.

Meeting. A laughing green-clad woman stood upon the Dolphin’s deck beside Sir Austen. She was the onetime Ivy Muriel Dundas, his wife — by royal creation a Dame of the British Empire (TIME, Dec. 14). When the purple orchids were handed on board she pinned them bravely upon her green dress. With the orchids came a card: “Benito Mussolini sends his kindest happy greetings to Lady Chamberlain.”

Swart, bullnecked, purposeful, Premier Mussolini followed his orchids, strode on board, shook the hand of Sir Austen warmly, kissed the hand of Dame Chamberlain. A steward bustled forward. Cocktails of Italian vermuth in each of which reposed an olive were lifted high.

The statesmen retired below, conferred for two hours. Finally they emerged, shook hands again, and all present embarked upon a tender for the Premier’s yacht. There luncheon was served. There the statesmen conferred again. Some thousands of cheering Italians who lined the shore and spied upon the Dolphin and the Giuliana wondered, as did many a newsgatherer, just what the Premier and the Foreign Secretary said to each other. Straining their ears they heard distinctly “God Save the King” rendered by the Giuliana’a band.

Significance. Newsgatherers wrote glibly for a day about “The Entente of Leghorn.” They hinted profoundly at a dark deal between Sir Austen and Il Duce to “counterbalance” the Franco-German “Entente of Thoiry” (see p. 14). Then Sir Austen climbed into a wagonlit, sped to Paris, conferred with Foreign Minister Briand, returned to London. By common consent the correspondents decided that all bets in favor of an “Entente of Leghorn” were off.

Subjects presumably discussed at the Leghorn meeting: 1) what attitude Britain will take in the event that Italy backs Spain’s claim to Tangier (TIME, Aug. 23); 2) the progress of Italo-British pressure upon the Government of Abyssinia to grant British concessions at the headwaters of the Nile, and Italian concessions in Abyssinia near Italian Somaliland (TIME, Aug. 9); 3) the problems of Italo-British relationship engendered by Premier Mussolini’s intrigues to form a pro-Italian bloc of nations in the Balkans.

Sir Austen Chamberlain himself furnished the only verbatim report of anything which passed between the two statesmen. Said he: “I said to Premier Mussolini: ‘You should follow my example and take a long rest aboard a yacht. That is the only way to attain true tranquillity.'”

Continuing, Sir Austen said:

“With M. Briand again I had a most friendly conversation. I was able to give him an account of all that might be of interest to him of my meeting with Signer Mussolini. He gave me an account of what passed between him and Dr. Stresemann.

“I need not say that no new agreements were concluded or projected. My own view is that these meetings serve the cause of peace and that our countries may well be content to see us meet from time to time, though they must not expect the whole world to change because we have conversation.

“If Signer Mussolini could not live without making every other country Fascist he might find me a very strong opponent of his policy, because it is unsuited to our country. But for the man himself I have very great regard and admiration.”

* The late Alessandro Mussolini was not only a blacksmith but a revolutionary, an Internationalist, an anti-religionist, and a devout apostle of Bacchus.