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Show oo- ITALIANS WILL ARM FOR DEFENSE Rome, March 1, via Paris, 2:50 p. m. .(Delayed) The Italian ambassador ambassa-dor at Washington, Count Macchl, has been Instructed to notify the American Ameri-can government that, notwithstanding the German and Austrian decrees regarding re-garding the sinking of armed merchantmen, merch-antmen, Italian merchantmen will continue con-tinue to carry armament. The ambassador also has been instructed in-structed to say that Italian merchantmen merchant-men will use their artillery only for defensive purposes. Confers With Lansing. Washington. March 2. Count Mac-chi Mac-chi di Cellero. the Italian ambassador conferred today with Secretary Lan-Bing, Lan-Bing, presenting the views of his government gov-ernment on armament of merchant ships It was said that the1 Italian government's reply to the American memorandum is not final and that its formal answer wil be a joint one with its allies. The information being pron. ent now, it was said, was a statement of the Teasons which had actuated Italy to arm Italian merchant shins ' which hitherto had carried no guns! ' |