ITALY: Benito In English

Came last week the first Italian radio broadcast to the U. S., and the first broadcast by Signore Benito Mussolini in English — a language he learned on a promise.*

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ” — so loud, so clear, so utterly without a trace of accent were the Dictator’s opening words that thousands of Americans jumped, marveled.

Accent came with the next words. Try ‘as he might Il Duce could not keep up the pace he had set with “ladies and gentlemen.” His Italian larynx clipped “people” first to “peepl” and finally to “peep.” His “the” gradually became “t.”

Frenchmen were listening in, listening hard. To them the speech was far more important than to Americans. Italy is their potential enemy and vice versa. Next day the entire Paris press betrayed profound relief at the quiet tone of Il Ditce’s speech, the solemn, personal nature of his long keynote:

“Before referring to some of the more urgent questions of the day I should like to contradict the many rumors spread abroad about Fascism and the danger it is supposed to represent for the peace of the world. Such accusations are groundless. Neither I nor my government nor the Italian people desire to bring about a war.

“I fought in the War as a soldier in the ranks. I know what war means. Terrible memories of those years when whole generations of the youth of so many countries were laid low by the hail of lead have not been canceled from my mind. I myself was seriously wounded. In the years that have since elapsed and at the present time, both as man and as head of the government, I have had before me a panorama of political, economic and moral consequences of the War, and not in Italy alone.

“How can anyone suppose that with this two-fold experience I would consider with anything but horror the prospect of another war? Even if it were to arise between two countries only, a war nowadays would inevitably become a general war. Civilization itself would be endangered. New discoveries of science would make a future war even more dreadful than the last. The danger of death would not be reserved for fighters, but whole populations would be imperiled without the possibility of effective protection.

“Italy — let me repeat it — will never take the initiative of starting a war. Italy needs peace; Fascism desires to secure for the Italian people in co-operation with all other peoples of the world a future of prosperity and peace.”

Friendship, Progress, Prosperity. Before preparing his speech to U. S. citizens 77 Duce studied carefully recent radio speeches made by Herbert Hoover. As a knowing Roman official put the matter last week, “His Excellency was careful not to talk explosively, like your Al Smith.”

Points from Benito Mussolini’s speech in Herbert Hoover’s vein:

Friendship: “The friendship felt in Italy for the United States has its roots in history.”

Progress: “Intellectual contacts have grown up between our two peoples. Italians fully recognize the contribution made by the United States to modern progress. The name of Edison is familiar to us all; so in the field of letters and philosophy are those of Longfellow, Whitman, Poe, Mark Twain, William James. I myself am a great admirer of Emerson and James. In the field of statesmanship Washington, Franklin and more lately Roosevelt are names which arouse our admiration.” Bolshevism: “Our trade relations with Russia are of economic value to us, but they do not affect our internal policies. Fascism and Bolshevism are still at the antipodes, both in theory and practice. Proof of this is afforded by appeals, constantly sent out to the proletariat of the world by the Third International at Mos cow to fight Fascism to death.” Idleness. “Unemployment is causing anxiety in Italy as in all other countries. We have a half-million unemployed at the present time, of whom 100,000 are women and 250,000 come from agriculture and the building trades where seasonal unemployment prevails. I am opposed to the dole. I prefer relief in the form of public works which substantially increase the efficiency of our national economic equip ment. The dole tends the workers to idleness.” Prosperity: “I am confident that the peace of the world will be preserved, and that before long a new era of prosperity will dawn; and in this assurance I bid goodby to those who have listened to my message, and beg to present my cordial regards to the President of your great republic.”

* The promise was to Lady Curzon, handsome American wife of the late Baron Curzon of Kedleston. Just before his departure from the Lausanne Conference in 1922, Il Duce said to her: “I could not write an English letter to you today. But within a month I shall be able to do so and I promise you you shall receive one.”