Word: takings
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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Italian explanations of why it had become "necessary" to take over Albania were more grimly humorous than usual. Mountainous Albania, about the size of Vermont, was already an Italian economic dependency. With its population of only 1,000,000, with few industries, no railroads, precious little natural wealth, Albania could not plausibly be pictured as a menace to powerful Fascist Italy, but some attempt was made to do so. Even more ludicrous were the Fascist press claims that: 1) Italians were showing their undying love for the Albanians; 2) King Zog, heretofore an unusually obliging Italian puppet, had recently shown...
...Instead, Dictator Metaxas jubilantly announced that Greek "independence and integrity are absolutely assured," but failed to say whether Britain or Italy had assured them. Dictator Metaxas hinted that he would not oppose British occupation of Corfu, but that he would not go so far as to invite Britain to take the island over...
...Royal Palace could hear the roar of whole flights of planes overhead-planes that could not possibly be Albania's, since the country had only two. They dropped no bombs but leaflets fluttered down in the spring breeze announcing that "friendly" Italian troops were arriving that day to take over the country and "reestablish order, peace and justice." At four Albanian seaports, the nearest one (Durazzo) only 25 miles from Tirana, warships soon hove into sight, began bombarding. Troops were landed. A skirmish or so developed. The little Albanian army of 13,000 was quickly mobilized, and hardy mountaineer...
Meanwhile the Vatican, already equipped with gas masks, selected a shelter in which the Pope of Peace will take refuge in case of air raids: a low, round, 15th-Century tower with walls 15 feet thick at the bottom, lined with steel...
...would take more than such trivial euphemisms to dim the vitality inherent in Houston's story. That vitality emerges on the screen as loud as a war whoop and as earthy as the badlands...