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- page three This is due partly because of his close association with the Hepublican and th Socialist Party. Both of these parties have v ry little popular following, but are fanatically opposed to manarchy. ‘they know perfectly wall that they would lose a plebiscite and therefore everyone of their efforts is dir cted twoards the avoidance of such e popular consultation. Furthermore, de Gasperi personally is a foe of the monarchy. This is not with him a matter of principle, but one of personal inter -$t. Having betrayed King Humberto, though he was his prime-minister, de Gasperi fe ls that the King would never trust " him again and that hence a Monarchy would mean the end of his | political career. Despite tis reputation, de Gasperi is a man of burning personal ambitions, who will try everything in his power to diye cither as Prime-Minister of as President of the Republic. Hence, his bitter opposition to the Monarchy. On the other hand, de Gasperi is much too shrewd an operator not to know that he cannot win an election, unless he has the supp rt of a very substantial bloc of monarchist votes. He consequntly must avoid to show openly his hostility to Monarchy, but try to find a solution by which he can still secure the monarchists' votes, without granting them their dceman for a plebiscite. he suceeded in the communist scare of 1948. he is now trying again, by appealing to the monarchists to support hin, while demanding from them that they should, for the time béing, shelve their demend for a plebiscite, until such time should arise, in which this could be carried out in a better atmosphere of harmony ana understunding.s This ap,eal has been recognized for what it is by italy's . leading mon»rchists and there is the danger that it might even be understood by the bulk of the population. ‘hat is the reason, why now the high command of the Vemocrazia Christiana is discussing privately the idea of creating a new Monarchist Party, which would work closely with the vbemocrazia Christiane, vould gather the monarchist votes in favor of de Uasperi, but vould never demand the plebiscite, which might spell the end of the kepublic. so far no decision hs ben taken on the matter, Since de vasperi and his _ frionds h-ve beon un ble to find somebody to lead this new Monarchist movement, Still some lcadihgg Demo-Christiani are speaking now to ask Mr.Giannini to take over thé& task. Giannini is the man vho was the leader of the former gaaXX Uomo Qualunque movem nt, which disap, eared a few years agoe he hes since not been heard VÍ e but it is noteworthy, that simultaneously with these plans of the ruling Party, anouncem nts have be n made that Giannini would start his newspaper againe the chances of this divergkonist movem nt lie in the fact, that the Italian monarchists are sorely divided. at present, the monarchist masses are divided between three main movem ntse the first of these is the Italian monarchist bn.on, a non-partisan group, which, despite its size, does not partake in direct political activities. The most dynamic of the monerchists is the PMM, or National Monarchist rarty, directed by Naples mayor Lauro. Lauro and his mon are active and aggressive snd are the real threat to the
