shall say more about this later on. Here I will only add that our Press Bureau and I myself actively co-operated with this institution, especially as regards its work in Italy.
Besides these various activities must be mentioned the wide contact established by Masaryk, more particularly in academic circles but also among journalists and writers. It was not until 1917 and 1918 that our propaganda in Italy began to assume extensive proportions, when a Ministry of Propaganda was set up and directed by Deputy Commandini. The Minister himself, together with his secretary Gino Scarpa, paid close attention to Austrian affairs and keenly co-operated with us.
A favourable centre for us was established in the entourage of the Deputy Torre, who from the outset promoted our interests. He was gradually joined by a number of other workers, amongst whom I would mention particularly G. Amendola, a gifted and accomplished politician who was then one of the hopes of Italy and who later became Minister for the Colonies. This group comprised a number of contributors to the Corriere della Sera—Senator Albertini, Professor Borghese, Ugo Ojetti, Emanuele Campolunghi, and others. To these must be added a number of irredentists and nationalists of that period, some of whom, such as Dadone, were also in our army.
In the spring of 1918, before our army had come into existence, our propaganda made excellent progress. We were assisted by a number of Parliamentary deputies, such as Arca, Canepa, Calenga, Senators Ruffini and Scialoja, with whom the Congress of Oppressed Nations was arranged at Rome in April 1918. At that period the first suggestions were made for establishing the “Lega italo-czecoslovacca,” which did much to spread a knowledge of our affairs in Italy and to cultivate cordial relations between the two peoples. Excellent work for the common cause was done especially by the Minister Lanza di Scalea, who afterwards served in our army. The co-operation of these sympathizers enabled us, notably after our army had come into being, to achieve much popularity in Italy, where our political aims and our military achievements were greatly appreciated.
Switzerland, of course, also came within the scope of our propaganda. Assistance was here given to our representatives by a number of friends of the Allied cause, of whom I should
