Empire Builders

The French Fleet had one end of the Mediterranean tied up and the English had the other. Nevertheless, flushed by its recent conquest of Albania, Fascist Italy last week talked, screamed, shrieked empire. One night tens of thousands of ardent black-shirted Fascists marched from their neighborhood clubs to Rome's famed Piazza, di Venezia. Shouting their Fascist slogans, singing their Party's songs, they faced the lighted windows of the massive Palazzo Venezia, where, as they all knew, the powerful Fascist Grand Council was meeting to decide high questions of State.

Scarcely half an hour went by before the big doors to the balcony over the Palazzo's main entrance were opened. Out stepped the familiar figure of Benito Mussolini, their leader, followed by Achille Starace, the Fascist Party Secretary. The shouts burst into a deafening roar. Up went the raised arm of II Duce in acknowledgment. Up spoke Signor Starace through loud speakers commanding all to salute Italy's empire builder.

The salute over, Signor Starace read the Grand Council's decision: The Albanian Constituent Assembly (set up by Italy after Albania's conquest) had offered the Albanian crown to Vittorio Emmanuele III, King of Italy and Emperor of Ethiopia. With "virile joy" the Council, guardian of the Crown's prerogatives, accepted the offer. Up from the huge square went more roars of approval. As Empire Builder Mussolini moved forward to speak, the thousands below called for more of the same. Up to the balcony came cries of "On to Paris!" "Tunisia!" "Down with France!" Speaker Mussolini replied with what his supporters took to be a pointed acknowledgment that Italy and France have a few matters to settle between them:

"We go toward friendly peoples with an attitude of friendship; against hostile peoples we shall display a clear, decisive and resolute attitude of hostility. . . . The world must know that we shall go straight ahead tomorrow, as we did yesterday and as we always shall."

Two days later the newly created Chamber of Fasces and Corporations met to sanction the union of Italy and Albania. Noticeably absent in the diplomatic box were the Ambassadors of the U. S., Britain, France, Soviet Russia, whose countries vigorously disapproved of the Albanian annexation. Conspicuous was a distinguished visitor, Field Marshal Hermann Goring, and wild cheers greeted his entrance. In a box at the right sat 120 Albanian "Sons of the Eagle," come to hand their country over to Italy. They, too, were cheered, and they answered with the Fascist salute.

In a sixty-minute speech, Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo Ciano delivered Italy's justification for the seizure of Albania. The now exiled King Zog was so selfish, narrow-minded and treacherous a ruler, Count Ciano said, that Albanians were relieved when Italy was forced to intervene in "sharp, Fascist style." Despite an Italian attitude of "moderation," King Zog's dealings with Italy were so "ambiguous" as to become "provocative." As for Queen Geraldine of Albania, who fled the country two days after the birth of her child and just before the arrival of Italian guns, the Italians were prepared to be chivalrous: Count Ciano said that she had been assured of always finding "shelter and protection" in Italy. The Deputies and Senators outdid themselves in frenzied cheers as they voted by acclamation Albania's annexation.

The legislative details having been cleared, King Vittorio Emmanuele the next day formally received his new title. Twenty carriages bore the Albanian delegates from the sumptuous Grand Hotel to the Palazzo del Quirinale. Troops lined the streets; thousands watched. In the palace throne room the little King, dressed in military uniform, and towering Queen Elena, wearing a yellow gown and the crown's famous pearls, received from Albanian Premier Shevket Verlaci the offer of the crown of Skanderbeg, named after Albania's great patriot. His Majesty accepted his sixth diadem, promised to respect Albania's traditions, language, religion.

It was not generally noted that Shevket Verlaci had twice before bestowed the elusive Albanian crown: on the German Prince William of Wied in 1914, on Achmed Zogu (later Zog I) in 1928. Moreover, no mention was made of the fact that the Crown of Skanderbeg, a leather helmet crowned by a goat's head, has long been in a Vienna museum.

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