Transfer in the Rain

At 10 a.m. one morning last week in Rome's Palazzo Madama, Presiding Senator Enrico Mole solemnly announced to his colleagues: "At this moment Italian troops are entering the incomparably Italian soil of Trieste." At the same magic hour, Rome's students poured from their classrooms and surged joyfully through flag-lined streets, chanting: Viva Trieste Italiana!

In Trieste itself, the long-awaited takeover came off enthusiastically, too, but not according to plan. Britain's General Sir John Winterton, departing commander of the British-U.S. occupation troops, had been cordially hated by the Triestini since last year's bloody riots. The British, therefore, insisted that the military ceremony be held close to the dockside, where the carrier Centaur waited to bear Winterton away. On the morning of the great day, rain and high winds lashed the city and the harbor; swarms of impatient Italians broke through police lines and made a shambles of the dockside area; Winterton's Italian guard could not get through. Even Italy's own spruce Bersaglieri and their commander, General Edmondo de Renzi, were buffeted and disheveled by the warmth of their welcome. General Winterton decided not to wait around for a proper transfer of authority, sent his regrets and sailed away, amid taunts. The Centaur's skipper explained later that he could not delay putting to sea because of the weather.

The final solution of Trieste seemed to leave both Yugoslavia and Italy feeling better. In Belgrade Marshal Tito spoke glowingly of "consolidation of normalization of relationships between the two countries." There were rumors that Tito would shortly make a state visit to Italy. There was also talk that Tito's favorite Italian, Cinemactress Gina Lollobrigida, might now be lend-leased to Yugoslavia to make a film.

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