Italy declared herself in the war on Japan last week. The announcement was made by aging Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs Giovanni Visconti-Venosta. The declaration meant little in a military way.
But it did mean that to resurrect their standing in the world, Italians would do anything even commit themselves to a war which they are not prepared to wage, militarily, financially or humanly.
The Roosevelt-Churchill declaration re admitting Italy to international high society had given Italians new hope. News of it flashed through Government offices, streets and homes. The declaration salved...