Rosso Explains How Sanctions Defense Will
Affect the U.S.
Implies Rich Benefit
By a Staff Correspondent of
The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 — The
Italian Government's combination
protest and ultimatum to League of
Nations members against economic
sanctions was painstakingly expounded both to diplomatic officials
and to the public here.
Going first to the State Department, Augusto Rosso, Italian Ambassador, spent an hour with William
Phillips, Undersecretary of State.
Shortly thereafter he received newspaper correspondents at the Embassy
and for an equal time expounded the
official apologia for Italy's position
which was transmitted Nov. 11 by
his Government to all League states
participating in the sanctions program.
Had Double Purpose
Technically, its presentation to the
State Department was a mere diplomatic courtesy intended to inform
this Government of what action
Italy was taking in retaliation
against League sanctions, and the
reasons for so doing.
Behind the diplomatic courtesy,
however, was the much more important desire to get the Italian point
of view before the American public
—a point of view which the Italians
insist has been ignored or unfairly
treated in the general American
tendency to take the side of alleged
British idealism and of Ethiopian
aspirations.
Some See Other Motives
In some quarters there was also
a disposition to see in the care employed here to expound the note an
effort to forestall the movement already well under way here for new
legislation which would permit the
United States to take exactly the
Ambassador Rosso Implies
U.S. Can Get Italian Trade
(Continued from Page 1)
same step which the League is
about to take—the embargo of raw
materials to Italy.
Ambassador Rosso said that, "the
American Government is out of the
picture so far as sanctions are concerned." Nevertheless the movement
for an extension of the neutrality
resolution to permit the embargo of
raw materials as well as munitions
has powerful support. Within another two or three months it is
conceivable that the United States may
be in a position to do to Italy exactly what the League states are
preparing to do.
That being the case, Italy by implication makes a tempting offer.
The Italian note virtually declares
that League sanctions will immediately be followed by an Italian boycott of all goods from League members. Mr. Rosso adds that America
is not involved in sanctions. Q. E. D.,
some observers are inclined to interpret, America may have all the Italian business which England and
France will lose—provided always
that America declines to embrace
the League point of view toward
Italy.
Ambassador Rosso did not give out
the official text of the Italian ultimatum. But he expounded it point
by point in what amounts to his
version of an English summary of
the text. In brief, that version is as
follows:
States Italy's Position
1. Denies that Italy has violated
its obligations under the League
Pact and renews the "strongest and
fullest protest against the seriousness and the injustice of the procedure against Italy"; asserts that
the League has never given due consideration to Italy's reasons for its
action against Ethiopia and protests that the League Covenant has
not been applied in toto, but only
Article XVI singled out.
2. Claims that recent events have
confirmed Italy's stand with regard
to Ethiopia on juridical and moral
grounds, points out that large sections
of Ethiopian population headed
by civil and religious authorities
have voluntarily put themselves
under Italian protection; calls attention to freeing of 16,000 slaves by
Italy and to the fact that slavery
still exists in Ethiopia in violation
of its antislavery compact signed
when admitted to the League;
claims obligation to protect both
freed slaves and others who have
allied themselves to Italy against
Ethiopian reprisals.
3. Denies the legitimacy of the
co-ordination committee. Italy therefore considers that each Government
is judge of, and therefore responsible
for, the measures it takes against
Italy.
4. Declares that 'the embargo on arms
to Italy and encouragement of
their shipment to Ethiopia will
merely serve to prolong the conflict |
by aggravating the condition which
originally compelled Italy to take
urgent measures for the protection of her colonies.
5. Calls the serious attention of
each League member to the gravity of
the proposed sanctions not only to
a nation which has always taken
an important part in international
co-operation, but also to the troubled
economic situation of the world;
points out that sanctions are being
applied for the first time against
Italy; adds that Italy's right to protect and defend its people cannot
be denied, and warns that Italy will
be forced to take measures of an
economic and financial character
which might disrupt international
currents of trade.
Calls Boycott Hostile Act
6. Declares that the proposed
boycott of Italian exports is a real
act of hostility which amply justifies Italian counter-measures;
warns that cutting off from the
world economy of a market of 44,000,000 people would have immediate
repercussions on millions of workers throughout the world.
7. States that Italy has not desired up to the present to leave the
League, but expresses belief that
Italy is now justified in calling the
attention of League members to
their responsibility for the measures
concerned.
"The Italian Government," the
note to the League states concludes,
"asks to be advised how your government, in its free and sovereign
judgment, intends to act with regard
to the measures proposed against
Italy."