Dictator's Birthday

Signor Benito Mussolini, Head of the Government, Prime Minister,

Secretary of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of War, Minister of Marine, Minister of Aeronautics, celebrated his 43rd birthday last week by assuming a sixth Cabinet post, the Ministry of Corporations. He spent the day at Forli, his country estate (TIME, June 21) with Signora Rachele Mussolini (nee Guidi) and their daughter Edda, now recovering from an attack of diphtheria. During the week, Signor Mussolini, once the loudest and most often vocal of European statesmen pursued his recent "policy of silence" (TIME, May 3) by issuing three written orders: Sicilian Riots. General di Giorgio to proceed at once to Sicily with an armed force and full authority to put down the seemingly concerted series of anti-Fascist riots which have been occurring recently in Palermo, Caltanisetta and Girgenti. Universal Silence. All Fascists were "commanded" by a manifesto to "keep silent about any local strife* within the party which nearly always arises from the stupidest motives." Anti-"Vacationist." To prevent the flight of the Italian lira abroad in the pockets of vacationing Italians, all passport offices were instructed to refuse passports to "vacationists." Signor Mussolini publicly expressed last week his grief at the death of Commander Oscar Cosulich, one of his closest industrial advisors. (See MILESTONES, p.29).

*As everyone knows, the great schism of Fascismo concerns the efforts of former Secretary-General of the Fascist Party Roberto Farinacci to avenge his displacement from that post through the influence of Minister of Interior Luigi Federzoni, "the Vatican's softspeaker." (TIME, July 12 et ante.)