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Hitherto Italian Fascism has gone easy on Jews, many prominent Italian Jews holding responsible Government posts, but II Duce knew his friend Der Fiihrer would not be exactly pleased by the new Anglo-Italian pact last week. The thing to give simple Adolf, decided deep Benito, was a rousing anti-Jewish article in Dictator Mussolini's personal newsorgan Popolo d'Italia. This tongue-in-cheek lashing of Jews last week served II Duce the further purpose of permitting him to attack by implication the Premier of France, M. Leon Blum, a Socialist and a Jew. Mussolini considers Blum scum for many reasons, and Popolo d'Italia, after noting that 98% of the French are NOT Jews, roundly declared that if 98% of the French were Jews, the remaining 2% of Frenchmen would have a much tougher time than do the 2% of Jews in France today. Roared Popolo d'ltalia, tongue in cheek, on this absurd proposition: "It is clear, in view of the ferocious exclusiveness of the Jewish tribe, that Christians would be totally banned from public life in France and doomed to be slaves, toiling in order to permit Jews to celebrate their Sabbath in complete rest!" This is the kind of nonsense Adolf Hitler finds profound, and Benito Mussolini sees no reason why Der Führer should not be humored when it costs II Duce nothing.
