London, June 9.
Fearing Moscow's reaction to her participation in the European con-fiot, Italy has sent an offer to Soviet. Russia that Europe be divided into three zones of influence following the defeat of the Allies, the diplomatic editor of the "Sunday Dispatch" asserted today.
Germany would get Northern and Central Europe, Italy the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, and Soviet Russia the Baltic and the Black Yea regions.
Furthermore, Italy would be prepar§d to yield the Dardanelles to Soviet Russia if the latter remained out of the conflict, and did not oppose an Italian intervention in the Mediterranean.
The writer believes that this manoeuvre was suggested by—the Nazi Foreign Minister, Herr Joachim von Ribbentrop, who is said to have added: "There will always be time to come back on the decision and dupe the Russians."
Italy is also said to have promised not to draw the Balkans into the war.
Russia adopted a reserved stand towards these offers and did not commit herself.
In conclusion, the writer said, Berlin fears that Soviet Russia may adopt an attitude more favourable to the Allies. For this reason, German troops along the border in' occupied Poland have been strengthened during the past few weeks. Some Nazis, it is understood, have turned again towards the anti-Soviet theories of Dr, Alfred Rosenberg, head of the Foreign Affairs section of the Nazi Party.—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.