On the 4th Anniversary of the Tripartite Pact
By Benito Mussolini
When the Tripartite Pact between Italy, Germany and Japan was concluded on September 27, 1940, an act of historical importance took place in view of what already appeared to be the fatal development of a war then being waged by stubborn will of the Anglo-Saxons: global conflagration.
But, according to the understanding of the three allies, the Pact was also a warning in the hope that the war would not spread to the then-immune continent and that through the containment of the conflict the world could be reorganized based on the principle of international justice enunciated in the preamble of the Pact itself, namely that all nations must have the place that each one is entitled to.
The Tripartite Pact was thus a defensive measure in view of that plot which was already in the air and which the so-called democratic nations were already weaving in order to mortally strike the three great nations that represented the values and strength of the spirit, hard work and the right to peaceful expansion. But in addition to being a defensive weapon, the Tripartite Pact was also a pledge of responsibility and solidarity in that great effort which aims at giving the world a new order, where the right to life of young peoples will have proper recognition and ancient injustices will be eliminated.
It is therefore not for transitory political contingencies, but rather in harmony with the fatal logic of history which, before the supreme trial, led to the alliance of the three peoples, who in the West and the East were—with their regime of discipline and freely-accepted sacrifice—the enunciators of a new age and a new way of life.
The events that have unfolded since then have shown that the desire of the poorer nations to defend themselves against those countries that want to maintain a possession and monopoly over the material wealth of the world was justified.
These events are yesterday's history: a daily provocation of three countries in such a direct and preordained form that has few precedents in history; provocation and acts of hostility whose outcome could only lead to an extension of the war to the whole world.
The conspiracy that for some time was harbored against the Tripartite nations has become an unscrupulously open game. Our enemies have no restraint today, not even in the field of discourse, in which they used to be carefully guarded, openly proclaiming that the goal of their war is the complete and definitive destruction of the three peoples of the Tripartite Pact.
In this regard the voices of our common enemies have become more explicit and unambiguous, and their intention is always the same: to erase the names of Italy, Germany and Japan from history.
This is the reality which we—as real men—must stare directly in the face during this harsh period of struggle. We must not deceive ourselves nor allow ourselves be deceived. Italy, brought to its knees, but still not defeated, knows by bitter experience what the soul of our enemies looks like, what is reality hidden beneath their propagandistic flattery. In order to save oneself and to save the future of our children, the path of history and the path of destiny must be followed to the full, regardless of obstacles, sacrifices and sorrows.
Only in this way does a people give proof of its maturity and its right to create its own future.
I ask the Italians to look at the sublime proofs of patriotism and valor that the German and Japanese people have given and thus measure their spirits and the strength of their faith even after being shaken by the betrayal.
I ask the Italians to reflect on the Armistice conditions which, after Italy, were imposed also upon other countries; conditions that remind one of the historic phrase "Woe to the vanquished".
The Italian Social Republic—which represents the Italy that kept its word—considers honor the highest good of men and peoples, in so far as it safeguards the present and the future.
Germany, Japan and Italy cannot be defeated by the weight of gold, nor by the vastness of the hatred of its enemies, nor by their material means. Fascist Republican Italy today faithfully reaffirms the Pact's bond with its loyal allies, confident in the justice of the cause and firm in its determination to resist and fight until victory.
