European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 17, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A weekend s Berv Luros photographed the last hour election appeals of four parties in Milan s Piazza Del Duomo last week Italy gets out the vote by Oliver Gregg Howard the Church and political parties from right to left Are using every device to Force the italian voting populace to the polls sunday to select the country s first permanent Republican government Rome. E everywhere an italian turns this week he is faced with posters an banners demanding that he cast his ballot for this or that party or coalition in sunday s elections. Here in Rome the Bill poster ers have plastered every available Wall several layers thick and to a height of about ten feet. If theroman turns his eyes to the skies for Relief he is As Likely As not to see leaflets fluttering Down like confetti from Low flying planes which Circle the to constantly during the Daylight hours. The streets in spite of the efforts of the roman Street cleaners look like lower Broadway in new York just after some celebrity has passed by on his Way to the City Hall to receive the keys to the City. Demonstrations rallies and parades Are a dime a dozen. One particular poster not mentioning any Par. Titular party or candidate reads let s vote the world is watching and Ashe world watches the temperature in creases tempers become Short and the pre election death toll rises. " in spite of the hectic electioneering the charges and counter charges Sun Day s elections will not solve any of Italy s problems. The Fronte demo ratico popular the coalition of communists and left Wing socialists will probably lose some ground. This does not mean that they will poll any fewer votes than they did in the elections two years ago. Instead their loss will be clue largely to the opposition stirred As perhaps never before which will works never before to get Idle voters to the polls. The hard Core of this communist dominated left Wing some seven to seven and a half million voters will turn out arid vote in a manner fit touring envy to the Eye of any stateside Ward heeler or political /boss.therefore, How great a percentage the left Wing coalition polls and How Many Assembly seats they Are Able to obtain depends on How successful the rightist Effort is in getting out the vote As Well As on those two great intangibles of politics and elections everywhere women and weather. Faced with this loss of ground  Are known to have con. Side red and May still be considering an attempt at a coup. Beginning in Northern Italy a few Days before elections it would take the form of a re Bellion and the establishment of an in dependent Northern Italy presumably with the Aid of yugoslav troops either officially or unofficially. To counteract any such moves the government has sent Strong army and Carob Nieri police forces to that Region. With 330,000 such troops available the government is confident it can maintain order and quickly quell any such uprising provided it is not strongly supported from outside the country. Under the command of Chris Tian Democrat Mario Scelba minister of Interior these forces Are in Scelba a own words ready to smash any Effort to intimidate the  unless out Side Aid should come immediately and in Quantity most observers feel any such revolt would be , following the Well established pattern Celeste neg Arville mayor of Turin and one of Italy s top drawer communist leaders discovered a fascist plot a couple of weeks ago which allegedly was to create disturb ances and make a coup on election Day. The documentary proof of this plot consisted of letters on the stationery of the army of liberation a Small anti communist veterans organization which by a coincidence had changed its name late last year to the army  in the communist press this plot was immediately linked to the United states without however any such documentary  Pietro Sec Chia a top organizer for the italian communist party said the plot proved that the United states was sending armed agents into Italy to supplement its italian agents already scattered throughout the country. There Are other indications too that something is in the wind. It is claimed by the right that Many International communist operatives have been sent to Italy. Travelling on diplomatic pass ports issued by various Balkan govern ments they Are said to have been i Czechoslovakia for the coup there and to have come to Italy immediately after wards. There is a Story perhaps apocryphal that one of these agents sitting in a Prague caf6, flushed with the czech Victory and too much Sliv Ovice openly bragged that he was going to Italy for the show there and that the left s target Date for Italy was to be april 14." All this however was before the recent Strong state cents by president Truman and other american leaders. The elections most observers feel will probably take place As scheduled with the popular front polling some 35 per cent of the vote. Two months ago estimates placed the total at around 40 per cent. S today some More optimistic observers i claim that the figure will be allow As 30 per cent. This reduction in percentage is based on two events the coup in Czechoslovakia which alarmed even some left Wing socialists and the Well timed proposal on the part of the Western Powers to return Trieste to Italy. Blase romans who traditionally avoid politics Are out ringing each other doorbells and campaigning like tammany precinct workers. They Are not doing i gaily they Are serious,.grimly serious and frightened. The Church too has come out strongly against the left coalition in contrast to its previous non political stand one roman who was in and out of hot water with the fascists All Dur ing the Mussolini regime and who Isnow campaigning earnestly for the right Wing socialists had this to say we italians let Mussolini come to Power by default by laziness. We Hada dictatorship of the right which i for continued on Page is s