Mussolini, who is reported to have been reinvigorated by recent victories and more rejuvenated now than in previous years, said the following to Roland Strunk:
"Last year was full of events, a big step forward was taken, the Rome-Berlin axis was solidified."Noting that this is the beginning of a process of European consolidation, the Duce stated that he does not believe in a United States of Europe; he added:
"That is a utopia, an impossibility due to historical and political reasons. Here on our continent we are all too old; every State, every people, has its own history and its peculiar innate sources, from which its racial and national characteristics spring. Elsewhere, in America for example, it is true that things are different. There everything is younger, newer, devoid of tradition."However, while declaring that a United States of Europe is an impossible thing, the Duce observed that:
"Outside of this and in the same direction, something is forming, a kind of European idea, born from the notion that a single danger threatens our culture, our integrity and our civilization; and this danger is Bolshevism."The Duce, having said that, said:
"Today we are going through a period of total political, social and ideological upheaval, and the democracies are in a state of bankruptcy..."And then observed:
"This is an era of strong individuality and domineering personality."Strunk here recalls how the Duce, a few days ago, concluded an agreement with England concerning the Mediterranean and how such an event was used by some as a pretext to spread lies, doubts and distrust.
When asked if he believed that the battle of Madrid could lead to complications, or even to a European war, the Duce responded calmly, shaking his head slowly.
And he added that there were some who wanted to disturb the Mediterranean agreement, but that he would not tolerate it.
