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BJrill
by
Stanley R. Rader
ltaly's Red Tide
ROME, April 21 , 1976:
According
to popu lar legend, Rome celebrated
its twenty-seven hundredth bi rthday
today. But it's not a very joyous
occasion.
Throughout ltaly the signs of na–
tional decay are everywhere - po–
li t i cal violence and te r ror,
nationwide strikes, tumbling stock
prices, polit ical kidnapping, violen!
st reet crime, and corruption of the
highest offic ials of the government.
Overall hovers a generally inept and
corrupt bureaucracy, incapable of
pu lling the nation together.
Now for the first time in thirty
years, ltaly's formidable Communist
Party may soon have an off icial role
in the ltalian government - if elec–
tions take place this June as ex–
pected.
The specter of Communists en–
tering a government of Western Eu–
ro pe has haun t ed bo t h free
Europeans and Americans since
the end of World War
11.
Although
ostensibly the Communist Party of
ltaly (PCI) has made every effort to
carve out an independent position
in foreign policy from that of the
Soviet Union, Western leaders fear
that , should it ever gain firm politi–
cal control, it would abandon its
moderate and independent position
and fall under the dictates of the
Soviet Un ion .
Secretary of State Henry Kiss–
inger has been totally opposed to
any new ltal ian government in
which the Communists would even
have a part, such as the long–
sought PCI goal of a " historie com–
promise " between it and the Chris–
tian Democrats. Kissinger has made
ominous and melancholy state–
ments about the effect of such a
development upon all of Western
Europe and the whole Western al–
liance.
The
PLAIN TRUTH-
June
1976
Even though ltaly 's Communist
leaders have proclaimed they would
continue to support ltalian partici–
pation in NATO, and although they
deny any interest in NATO " se–
crets," Western mi litary experts
seem convinced that an ltalian
Communist victory would spel l the
end of NATO, at least as it has been
st ructured during the past three
decades.
lt is, of course, clear that some–
thing must be done in ltaly to re–
stare a government that wi ll begin
to cope seriously with all of the
grave economic and political prob–
lems wh ich conf ront the ltalian
people .
lt is commonly believed by many
observers of the ltalian polit ical
scene that a program of extreme
national austerity must be under–
taken immediately and that such
can only be accomplished with the
cooperation and participation of the
Communists, who have a good
track record in running their many
municipal and regional govern–
ments. lt is only through such an
all -out nat ional effort, crossing even
ideological lines, they believe, can
ltaly's deteriorating economic slide
into oblivion be halted.
Meanwhi le, the ltalian people in
Rome seem to be fiddling as Rome
burns. Never have the boutiques
seemed so busy. Never have the
restaurants been more crowded .
With the lira fal lmg in value daily ,
Romans seem eager to unload their
depreciating currency for life's lux–
uries while they are affordable.
Each day sees yet another scandal
hit the head lines - producing only
more popular contempt, scepticism,
and disrespect toward the govern–
ment.
Throughout the nations of West–
ern Europe, interna! problems con-
tinue to mount. Britain, under new
Prime Minister James Callaghan,
has seen the .pound sterling plum–
me! to its lowest leve! in history
($1.80). Conditions in Portugal and
Spai n are c learly unsettl ed. In
Fra nce , Pres i de n! Giscard
D'Estaing has seen his popularity
fall to its lowest leve! since he took
off ice almost two years ago. (One
will recall that he was victorious
over the opposition Socialist-Com–
munist al liance by the slimmest of
margins. ) Today the socialist party
of France is st ronger than ever be–
fare.
As if U.S. Secretary of State Kiss–
inger didn 't have enough to worry
about in Europe, he has now em–
barked on a trip through black Al–
rica in an effort to shore up
American positions in that t roubled
continent.
Next month,
Plain Truth
Editor–
in-Chief Herbert
W
Armstrong and
1
will spend three or tour weeks in
Africa, including the Republic of
South Africa. Last year Mr. Arm–
strong was aware of the importan!
changes about to take place in the
balance of equi librium of black Al–
rica, and we spent considerable
time in Ethiopia and Kenya. lmme–
diately thereafter we announced
plans to visit Nigeria, but they had
to be postponed because the Nige–
rian government which, on the sur–
tace , had appeared to be ve ry
stable, suddenly was overthrown in
a coup d'état . Even Mr. Kissinger
finds himself unable to visit Nigeria
on this present swing through Al–
rica because his security cannot
be insured.
Mr. Armstrong 's message month
after month in
The Plain Truth tor
more than 40 years has clearly and
vividly projected world events lar in
advance of their occurrence, as
have the writings of others in this
publication. We will always strive to
bring you the real meaning of the
news.
o
AeTIVO
TO KEEP YOUR NEW
PLAIN TRUTH
COMING
SEE PAGES 22-23
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