Trouble in Trieste
Fascists and Communists, behaving as they always tried to behave before the war, have managed in the past week to give the forces of order in Trieste a bad shaking, to create excitement throughout Italy, and to reduce the chances of a peaceful Italo-Yugoslav settlement of the status of the Free Territory, An Italian demonstration on the fourth anniversary of the joint declaration by Britain, France and the United States that the whole territory should be returned- to Italy was turned into a furious bout of rioting. The Government of Signor de Gasperi, which came to power four years ago in a general election which immediately followed the Three- Power declaration, now finds itself in the awkward position of having to support the demand for the return of Trieste, to prepare for the next general election (which must come soon) and to keep on friendly terms with Britain—all at the same time. The last requirement is particularly awkward, since the Italian rioters have chosen to concentrate their action on the British military authorities, and the Mayor of Trieste has chosen to call (in defiance of the occupation arrangements) for the removal of certain British officers. The Americans, for reasons which are not stated but which may have something to do with the fact that over $2,500 million worth of American aid has been poured into Italy in the past nine years, are not singled out for attack. Nobody knows the right answer to the Trieste problem, but this violent outcry against a single Western Power is certainly the wrong one. If, as some Italian sources aver, the Western Powers wish to forget the declaration of 1948 in order to secure the co-operation of Marshal Tito, rioting and uproar are hardly the best devices for reminding those Powers of their undertaking.
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