Summary of Brian Fleming's The Vatican Pimpernel

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The First World War was a bitter experience for the Italian people. They were on the winning side, but they gained very little from the war. In 1921, when the US and Britain agreed to limit the size of the fleet, Italy was forced to accept the same naval strength in the Mediterranean as the British Royal Navy.

#2 The Fascist Government adopted an expansionist foreign policy based on aggression. In 1919, Mussolini was articulating the case that Italy needed more territory for her growing population. In 1935, the Italian army invaded and conquered Ethiopia. In 1936, Italy sent troops to support Franco in the Spanish Civil War.

#3 The war between Britain and France on the one hand, and Germany on the other, began on 3 September 1939. The President decided to send a personal representative to the Pope, Myron Taylor, who would address refugee issues.

#4 Taylor, the US diplomat in Rome, was working to keep Italy out of the War. He had seven meetings with the Pope in the period from 27 May to 23 June, an unprecedented number of meetings for a foreign diplomat. The general view was that President Roosevelt would have more influence on Mussolini than anyone else.

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