Word: poncet
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...Duce gave no indication in his speech of the reason for his timing. The only hint of a reason came from France's Premier Paul Reynaud: "What was the pretext of his declaration of war? When, this afternoon, at 4:30, our Ambassador François-Poncet asked Count Ciano this question, Mussolini replied that he was 30 doing nothing but fulfilling the pledges that he had given Hitler."Europe's innocent bystanders, small of stature and short of hope, anxiously wondered whether II Duce would as faithfully fulfill the pledges he now gave them: "Italy does...
...aspersive remarks about Italy's Albanian grab that the Italian press would not print them. Il Duce moved to renew the British trade talks, and French Premier Reynaud had a long and apparently pleasant talk with Ambassador Raffaele Guariglia. But as French Ambassador André François-Poncet returned to Paris, L'Oeuvre commented: "It's not a secret that he didn't obtain impressive results at Rome...
...Hungary's claims on Rumania were considered in any plan to change the Balkan status quo. The Italian press proceeded to play Hitler's game by accusing the Allies of trying to shift the war to the Balkans and the French Ambassador André François-Poncet hurried, home to Paris to confer with his Government. Still the balance of power in Europe seemed to be held by Mussolini...
During this hubbub the French Ambassador remained grimly seated in the Diplomatic Gallery, and afterward he strongly remonstrated with Count Ciano; but all the same, secret negotiations began. Last week M. François-Poncet was back from Paris with these reputed offers: 1) Djibouti, the French Red Sea terminus of Italian Ethiopia's only railway, to be leased to Italy for 90 years; 2) Italy to be allowed to purchase an increased share in the closely held stock of the Suez Canal Co. to insure lower rates for Italian shipping through the Canal, main water route to Ethiopia...
...with which he may help Turkey or Rumania as he once helped Poland. But the Italian Navy and Air Force could harry the flow of French munitions, troops and supplies for Syria-not that the Italian people would wish these cut off. Presumably, M. André François-Poncet was preparing the ground with the horse-trading Duce for a more or less secret Allied understanding with Italy...