Innsbruck, [Beginning of January], 1978
Which Attitude to Assume?
Which attitude should one assume as an American in Europe or as an emigrant when one returns to one’s old home country? The best attitude will be to keep a friendly distance and to remain open-minded for local conditions and events, but under no circumstances to interfere in domestic political affairs.
Innsbruck, January 5, 1978
President Carter’s Tour of the World
Over New Year’s President Carter embarked on a big journey to get acquainted with various regions of the world. In a whirlwind tour of nine days, he covered 18,500 miles, visiting seven countries on three continents. The tour led him from Warsaw to Teheran, then on to New Delhi, Riyadh, from there to the Aswan Dam in Egypt, and finally to Paris and Brussels. Carter was able to get an idea of the present international situation, before meeting with Giscard d’Estaing. Nothing could have made it clearer that Europe is only one of several regions in the world which American foreign policy has to deal with.
January 6, 1978
While President Carter had talks with representatives of NATO and the European Community in Brussels, U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance handed the St. Stephen’s Crown over to the Parliament in Budapest. It was a goodwill gesture. Since 1945 the St. Stephen’s Crown has been in American safekeeping in Fort Knox. Without a doubt, the Carter Administration wanted to show Poland and Hungary that the East Bloc countries can count on America’s confidence.
Innsbruck, January 15, 1978
Ante Portas
What has been feared for a long time, cannot, it seems, be prevented any longer: Italy’s Communists are pushing to get into the government. The DC (Christian Democratic Party) at first refused to let the KPI (Communist Party of Italy) be part of the government, but the cabinet of Andreotti is about to resign. There is only the historic compromise left: Either share power with the Communists or call new elections.
This situation also challenged the Carter Administration to take a clear stand. Washington’s position is now following more the view of Henry Kissinger that the participation of the Communists in a democratic West European government would strain the Atlantic Alliance.
January 16, 1978
The minority cabinet Giulio Andreotti has resigned. That was the 39th government since the end of the Second World War. Once again, Italy is without a government, until Andreotti will succeed in forming a new government under different conditions. The pressure from the street is getting noticeably louder.
Addendum
Andreotti finally succeeded in forming a new government with the exclusion of the Communists. But the Communists were conceded a stronger role in the legislative process in Parliament.
[During the semester break in February 1978, my wife and I took a tour by car through Italy, which led us from Innsbruck to Florence, Perugia, Rome, Naples, and on to Taormina in Sicily.]