A new commercial agreement was signed. Germany and the Soviet Union needed each other.
King Victor Emmanuel III was in something of a quandary. That morning he had received a visitor, his son-in-law Boris, Tsar of Bulgaria. Apart from family news and an update on affairs in Bulgaria, Boris had brought disturbing news. Albania, of which Victor Emmanuel was also King by virtue of Italy’s annexation, was in a state of ferment.
After Italy had invaded Albania in 1939, the Albanian parliament and its collaborationist politicians, eager to preserve their privileged status, voted to unite their country with Italy. The Albanian monarch, King Zog fled to Greece, and then to London. King Zog had maintained various contacts within his country over the past three years. He had also kept in touch with Boris of Bulgaria.
The Albanian communists had established the Albanian Communist Party in November 1941. They had slowly expanded its membership and influence. The resistance it now led against the Italian occupiers had noticeably increased. On the orders of Mussolini, any ‘negative’ news from the occupied territories was suppressed, so Boris considered it likely that his father-in-law, the King, was unaware of the true state of affairs in Albania. Hence his visit to Rome.
Victor Emmanuel had become increasingly concerned about events in Italy in recent months. He had heard of demonstrations against Mussolini’s rule in Italy, Albania and North Africa. He also knew that the dictator censored all news, even to the palace! Trouble was brewing.
After the Great War, Italy had been in crisis. There was widespread poverty, mass unemployment and social unrest in the early 1920s. Communism posed a threat to the country’s hopelessly divided politicians. An authoritarian right wing — fascist — system of government was looked upon as a better alternative to Bolshevism. These factors had given Mussolini and his adherents the opportunity he sought and led to him being appointed Prime Minister. Conveniently forgotten was the fact that Mussolini himself had been a socialist and admirer of the communist Karl Marx before he was a fascist. Such is the shallowness of politicians!
Mussolini proved to be completely ineffectual with regards to improving Italy economically. The best that could be said for him was that he got the trains running on time. By 1942 Italy’s GDP was one third that of Great Britain, even though the two countries had similar sized populations.
What Mussolini had managed to accomplish was to squander a large portion of his country’s wealth on the acquisition of an arid and largely desolate colonial empire in North Africa.
Italy had no need of a leader such as this.
The news of the increasing strength of the Albanian communists was disturbing to the King. He must act!
Foreign Minister von Altendorf stared at the young man seated in front of him. He was very tall and amazingly thin. He looked like a starvation victim. He had a shock of blond, almost white, albino-like, hair, and when you looked into his eyes you saw a chilling strength and absolute confidence. For no apparent reason the Baron felt uneasy in his presence.
He bore a confidential letter from King Victor Emmanuel. It was more of a report than a letter, and it described the current mood in Italy and Albania, and the increasing strength of the Albanian communists. In a round-about way, the Italian King was advising the Germans that he was contemplating taking action in both countries to avoid turmoil and internal strife. In effect he was asking for Germany’s moral support.
Von Altendorf was by no means convinced that the elderly King had the necessary resolution and moral strength to take on and beat his country’s long established dictator. Mussolini had ruled his country firmly for twenty years, and although he no doubt had many enemies, he also had his fanatical fascist adherents.
Personally von Altendorf would like nothing better than to give the ageing king his full support and get rid of the delusional Mussolini. However, he must be diplomatic. He couched a reply to the Italian King reiterating Germany’s policy of non-interference in other country’s affairs, but at the same time implying their blessing on his undertaking. ‘And the best of luck to you, your Majesty’, he thought.
Jeremy stared irritably at the invitation to the wedding of his brother James to Fiona Makepeace. The happy event to take place in two weeks on 30 March. ‘Bloody short notice, James’ he thought. It was unlike James to do anything impetuous, but he had always been a bit cavalier in his treatment of others. ‘What’s the rush?’
He checked that Erica could arrange a couple of days leave, and dashed of a reply in time to catch the evening diplomatic mail pouch to London. His assistant arranged return air tickets on the newly introduced Lufthansa Berlin to Manchester service. He would leave the problem of finding a wedding present to Erica. He got back to work.
A few hundred metres away at the American Embassy, Jamie read Katherine Blackstone’s letter for the second time. She was asking him if he would like to be her partner at her brother’s wedding. She and Jamie had been corresponding regularly since they had first met at Jeremy’s wedding. Jamie had grown fond of her and had been thinking of visiting her in England. This was the perfect excuse.
His reply was in the American diplomatic pouch on the same aircraft to London as Jeremy’s.
The wedding was over and the guests had dispersed to wherever they lived or were staying. Jeremy and Erica were having a nightcap with Jamie and Katherine, and Jeremy’s brother George, at a cosy traditional English pub just over a mile from Blackstone senior’s house where they were all staying for the weekend.
It was Katherine who was the first to voice what had been on everyone’s mind. “I am afraid our dear brother has bought himself a whole heap of trouble. It isn’t the fact that she is young enough to be his daughter, I have no real problem with that. It is just that I think she sees James as a meal ticket. I talked with her a lot, not because I found her interesting, which she definitely isn’t, but to try and get to know her. She is undoubtedly materialistic and, I suspect, work-shy. She is also very much in love with the status of being married to a Member of Parliament.”
Now that the subject had been broached Jeremy felt he had to make a comment. “I think you may possibly be right, Kath. Time will tell.” He was inclined to agree with his sister.
It was Erica who had noticed what none of the others had. “I suppose none of you saw the way she could not take her eyes off Jamie?” she asked sweetly.
Now all five of them started talking at the same time. Erica had stirred the pot and Jamie was the subject of various humorous comments. He had no trouble laughing them off.
George had the final say. “I think Jamie is safe, at least for the foreseeable future. I am only a poor country doctor, but studying our new sister-in-law from a distance today, I think it is by no means impossible that she may present us with a new nephew or niece soon.” He said this with a big grin on his face. George had always been the one in the family with a wicked sense of humour.