Il Piccolo
- The death-penalty bill
- The right of asylum does not include protection for assassins
- British comments — The Times
Il Piccolo frames the aftermath of the attack through government measures and selected foreign reactions. It reports preparations for a death-penalty bill, quotes a Swiss editorial that makes allegations about France conditional on proof, and relays a British comment mixing relief at Mussolini’s survival with criticism of his speech.
Two paragraphs on the proposed law, the opening conditional passage of the Swiss editorial report and the opening of the Times commentary. Other investigation reports and press extracts are not fully transcribed.
Translation
The death-penalty bill
Il Tevere writes that Justice Minister Rocco has already received instructions from the Duce and will begin drafting a capital-punishment bill, to be presented and discussed at the next Council of Ministers.
The bill will provide for the restoration of the death penalty for attacks against the Head of State and the Head of Government, and for serious attacks on the security of the regime.
The right of asylum does not include protection for assassins
The right of asylum does not include protection for assassins
Zurich, the thirteenth
In an editorial entitled “Italy and France,” the Neue Zürcher Zeitung discusses the controversy in the two countries following the attempt on Mr Mussolini’s life. After expressing the hope that these incidents will not disturb good relations between the countries and that everything can be clarified, the newspaper offers these interesting observations:
“In the interests of international relations, one must hope that the inquiry begun in Rome will establish that the attack was the desperate act of an individual. But if it were really proved that a conspiracy pursuing a reprehensible aim had in fact taken place on French soil and had ended by putting a weapon into a fanatic’s hands, then French justice will, of course, do its duty.”
British comments — The Times
British comments
London, the thirteenth
Among the newspaper comments following the news of the execrable attempt on the life of the Italian Head of Government, that of The Times is noteworthy. After expressing satisfaction that Italy’s Head of Government was unharmed, its editorial writes:
“In his speech, Mr Mussolini used some expressions that would be difficult to call diplomatic. Yet one must understand the natural indignation of a vehement man who has so often disdained to follow the proverb that speech was given to man to conceal his thoughts.”
Context
How protection of a leader becomes protection of a regime
Mussolini’s rule had developed into a dictatorship after his appointment as prime minister in 1922. The proposed bill joins attacks on the state’s two leading offices with serious threats to the regime itself. That grouping expands the political meaning of the response to an assassination attempt: protecting an individual leader can also provide the rationale for stronger penalties against threats to the existing order. Rocco’s assignment puts that response into the machinery of legislation.
Why an assassination attempt created a dispute over asylum
The question facing the quoted Swiss editorial is how to separate refuge for political opponents from participation in violence across a border. If the attack were an isolated act in Italy, the diplomatic implications would be different from those of a conspiracy organized in France. This distinction explains the editorial’s concern for an inquiry: what it establishes could turn a domestic criminal case into a demand for action by another country’s authorities.
How The Times balances sympathy and diplomatic restraint
The Times passage first welcomes Mussolini’s survival, then distances itself from the language he used. Its proverb makes the tension clear: outspoken indignation may be understandable in a person who has been attacked, while a government leader’s words also affect relations with other states. The comment offers sympathy without surrendering the expectation of diplomatic restraint, which gives the foreign reaction a more complex role than simple praise.
Original
Il progetto di legge sulla pena di morte
Il Tevere scrive che il ministro Guardasigilli on. Rocco ha già avuto istruzioni dal Duce e si metterà all’opera per la compilazione del disegno di legge sulla pena capitale, che sarà presentata e discussa dal prossimo Consiglio dei ministri.
Il disegno di legge stabilirà il ripristino della pena capitale per gli attentati contro il Capo dello Stato e il Capo del Governo e la sicurezza del regime in casi gravi.
Il diritto d’asilo non contempla la protezione di assassini
Il diritto d’asilo non contempla la protezione di assassini
ZURIGO, 13
La Neue Zuercher Zeitung in un articolo di fondo intitolato «Italia e Francia», si occupa delle polemiche che nei rispettivi paesi ha avuto, come strascico, l’attentato contro l’on. Mussolini. Dopo aver espressa la speranza che le buone relazioni fra i due paesi non siano turbate da questi incidenti e che tutto riesca a chiarirsi, il giornale fa queste interessanti considerazioni: «Nell’interesse delle relazioni internazionali è da sperare che l’inchiesta iniziata a Roma giunga a stabilire che l’attentato fu dovuto all’atto disperato di un singolo. Ma se fosse realmente provato che sul territorio francese di fatto ebbe luogo una congiura che perseguiva uno scopo riprovevole e che si concluse col mettere l’arma nelle mani di un fanatico, allora, naturalmente, la giustizia francese farà il suo dovere.»
I commenti inglesi — il Times
I commenti inglesi
LONDRA, 13
Tra i commenti che i giornali fanno seguire alla notizia dell’esecrando attentato alla vita del Capo del Governo Italiano notevole è quello del Times che, nell’editoriale, dopo avere espressa la sua soddisfazione per l’incolumità del Capo del Governo d’Italia, scrive: «Nel suo discorso, l’onorevole Mussolini usò alcune espressioni che sarebbe difficile qualificare diplomatiche; bisogna però comprendere l’indignazione naturale dell’uomo veemente, che tante volte sdegnò di seguire il proverbio, che la parola fu data all’uomo per nascondere i suoi pensieri.»
Source: Source: Internet Archive