The wisdom of the policy followed by Mr. Neville Chamberlain with regard to Italy, which led to the recently reached accord, is being proved more and more convincingly as time goes on, and yet another such proof is to be found in the reports that Count Ciano, Italian Foreign Minister, has informally suggested that a study might be made of means to make the accord more immediately operative. It will be remembered that one of the important terms of the accord was the provision that it was to come into force upon the withdrawal of Italian volunteers from Spain. That has been delayed chiefly owing to the difficulty in obtaining any sort of decision out of the Non-Intervention Committee, and the importance which the Italian Government attach to the accord may be judged by its anxiety to accelerate its enforcement. The British view is reported to be that the first requisite.to bring about the enforcement of the accord is the withdrawal of the Italian volunteers, which can only occur after the agreement of the Non-Intervention on foreign volunteers in Spain It has been shown that for one reason or another it has not been possible to secure agreement, or at the least it is still being greatly delayed, and there is very considerable justice in the contention that the betterment of relations between Great Britain and Italy should not be made dependent upon the goodwill of other countries. That seems to be the Italian point of view, and there is much to support any move which is calculated to prevent the pact being shipwrecked on the Spanish situation. Count Ciano's step last week, therefore, is just that indication of Italien good faith in which the Prime Minister, defending his policy before the House of Commons, on the occasion of the resignation of Mr. Anthony Eden, expressed his firm belief, The Italian government would be well within its rights to await the ultimate settlement of the question of withdrawal by the Non-Intervention Committee before proceeding to implement the Anglo-Italian pact, and if it had decided to do so it could not possibly have been criticised.
The suggestion has been made that Italy could make a valuable contribution towards solving the problem by withdrawing the Italian volunteers from the front in Spain and maintaining them in camps, taking no further part in the hostilities. That would be tantamount to withdrawal, for the spirit of the idea would be realized by rendering those forces militarily ineffective so far as the Spanish rebellion is concerned. In any event it is the next best thing to complete withdrawal and should be accepted by the British Government in the spirit in which itis offered. It is bad international politics for two nations to have an unratified agreement between them, especially on so important a question as the restoration of friendly relations. It is, even worse when that ratification is delayed by circumstances not entirely within the control of either of theme for it entails the substitution of conditional for unconditional policies, and permits the intervention of third parties who may view the rapprochement with disfavour for reasons of their own. The Italian proposal is to divorce the question of the withdrawal of Italian volunteers from the general question of the withdrawal of foreign volunteers as a whole, the matter which is engaging the attention of the Non-Intervention Committee, and involves such a number of conflicting interests that it is doubtful whether a decision will be arrived at before the Spanish civil war ends one way or the other. To leave the ratification of an important agreement such as this dependent upon so uncertain an event is to betray no particular political wisdom, but to give a display of rashness which must at all times prove disquieting. For these reasons it is clear that the Italian proposals should not only be welcomed but examined with the desire to make them operative as quickly as possible. Thus in making these suggestions Italy has placed the responsibility squarely upon British shoulders, and it would be a reversal of policy, and an unfortunate one at that, if they are not accepted in the spirit they are obviously meant.
There will undoubtedly be those who will contend that the Italian offer, in view of the fact that the insurgents have practically already won the war, is being given a spurious value. They will also contend that the presence of the volunteers in Spain would enable Italy to place them at General Franco's disposal in the event of that leader sustaining reverses. Such things are possible, but, with regard to the first, the Spanish civil war is not yet ended, and, with regard to the second, it is still imperative that Italian good faith should be taken for granted. The results for which Mr. Chamberlain is aiming may have the profoundest possible effect upon the future history of the world and the possibility of establishing a sounder peace than that which exists at present. Anglo-Italian friendship once restored, the way is left open for the British Prime Minister to seek a better understanding with Germany. His hand will be all the stronger for the success of these present conversations, for as Mr. Garvin rightly points out Anglo-German discord is at the root of the whole world's political perils and economic evils. It would be a magnificent contribution to the world's peace if the agreement now existing between London and Rome could be extended to embrace Berlin as well. The editor of "The Observer" makes the position quite plain. He demands that Great Britain shall follow a foreign policy unswayed by passion, that she shall continue to prevent the Spanish conflict from spreading beyond the Iberian peninsula, that events in China shall be carefully watched, etc. A successful British policy in Europe will lead to a stronger one in the Far East, and in the removal of pre-Occupations there are to be seen the best opportunities for an ultimate satisfactory solution of the grave problems which sooner or latter have to be faced in this part of the world. It is clear from what has happened in the recent past and what is happening now, that Mr. Chamberlain's trust in the motives of the Italian government has not been misplaced, and while in this matter the initiative has passed to Rome, this new phase should not for that reason be neglected.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.