Paris, Jan. 8.
The announcement of the new Italian naval programme has caused excitement among French newspapers, some believing that France should push its own programme and others doubting the ability of Italy to carry her load financially, "L'Epoque" writes, "France ought to plan for the rapid construction of new units of the same tonnage as those announced by Italy."
The Rome correspondent of "Lo Figaro" reports, "The Italian gesture reinforces the Rome-Berlin axis. The German army would guard the land frontiers while Italy would be charged with protecting the maritime and colonial interests of the author-italian bloc, Regarding relations with Great Britain, Italy has thrown a huge naval rearmament programme into the balance. But the economic aspects of the programme are doubtful. It will be necessary to make profound ' sacrifices in comparison with the ordinary standard of national fe."
Lo Jour" asks, "How will this new effort be financed? Will not Premier at the American Embassy yesterday, he said. Questioned regarding the origin of the fire which destroyed the Soviet Embassy on New Year's Day, Mr. Okumura stated that it "still is a mystery." No one, he added, had obtained access to the Soviet Embassy compound which had been sealed by the staff when they evacuated Nanking.
"There have been indications," he went on, "that there was someone in the compound. For instance, the Soviet flag! which had been flying at the time of the Japanese occupation of Nanking, was suddenly found lowered one day in December, Repeated attempts to obtain entry into the compound by the Japanese consular authorities has failed, no reply being given to knocks on the Embassy gates.
Japanese guards, the official pointed out, were posted around the compound, as well as around the residence of the Japanese resident naval officer in Nanking, adjoining the Soviet Embassy,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.