Instead of sailing for New York last week, comfortably full of U. S. tourists, Italy’s gaudy, ornate, popular Vulcania cleared from Naples pack-jammed with excited Italian troops. They waved pith helmets, brandished rifles tipped with the Italian tricolor and roared alternately “Live The Duce!” and “Live The King!” In each soldier’s breast pocket was a handy picture of Il Duce inspiringly autographed:
Better live one day as Lions than 100 years as Lambs—Mussolini.
Thirty thousand gallons of airplane gasoline meanwhile arrived in Italian Somaliland, ready to power the bombers that Il Duce and Il Re may hurl against Abyssinia’s Emperor Power of Trinity, who is the Conquering Lion of Judah and the Elect of God to over 5,000,000 Negroids.
Smart as he looks, the knife-nosed Emperor, having received Il Duce’s ultimatum demanding salutes, indemnities and establishment of a neutral zone, sent down to the frontier of Italian Somaliland an Abyssinian mission with a Swedish and a Belgian military observer “to ensure fairness in establishing the neutral zone,” ignored Il Duce’s demands for salutes, indemnities
This produced in Rome profound explosions of Fascist wrath. At the Dictator’s press bureau, run by his affable son-in-law Count Gelasio Ciano, the official spokesman said furiously of Abyssinia’s Emperor “He was ‘being smart!’ Our Minister to Abyssinia has informed the Abyssinian Government that their unilateral effort will not stand!”
To relieve young Count Ciano’s ufficio stampa (Press Bureau) of any difficulty in explaining Italy’s future moves in Abyssinia, Dictator Mussolini as War Minister abruptly took over its functions. No more mimeographed handouts will be issued, he decreed. Correspondents will get their news orally at the War Office, face drastic prosecution if their verbal informant sees fit to accuse them of misquotation. Press feats of the week included high praise in every Italian paper for a mother who, asked why she was sobbing on the dock as her soldier son sailed, explained through her tears: “I am not sorry that my son is going to fight for Italy. If I had two sons, I should send them both!” (sobs).
Two days after the Vulcania embarked, the Biancamano set sail from Sicily, bound for Somaliland, with 100 officers, 2,600 soldiers and quantities of supplies including motor trucks, artillery and motorized artillery.
Possibly to fight for Abyssinia, one U. S. Negro sailed on the Europa last week. He was “Harlem’s Black Eagle,” the “Negro Lindbergh,” famed Col. Hubert Fauntleroy Julian who insists that the Emperor of Abyssinia made him a Colonel nearly five years ago in Addis Ababa (TIME. Nov. 3, 1930).
“More than 75 Negro doctors and engineers, trained in American colleges, have settled in Abyssinia since I cut the path,” said Col. Julian. “To the news of Italy’s aggression my instinctive reaction was at once to take off for Abyssinia in my black Bellanca plane (see cut). However, I restrained my ardor whilst assembling some combat and bombing equipment which I will take with me by ship to Aden, thence flying the planes to Addis Ababa.”
North German Lloyd officials knew of no combat equipment or battle planes among Col. Julian’s luggage as the Europa sailed. “The only disparity between the combatants is in the air,” was the Black Eagle’s parting declaration. “Once that is remedied, Abyssinia hath nothing to fear!”
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