701. BENITO MUSSOLINI (1883 - 1945)  Italian dictator whose fascist supporters marched on Rome, securing him power; allied with Hitler, after many military and political setbacks he was captured and executed at war's end by partisans. Very rare S.P. "B. Mussolini" as Prime Minister of Italy, 12 5/8" x 10 1/4" overall, Locarno, Oct. 16, 1925, a fine image of Europe's "power-brokers" seated at the negotiating table at which the Treaty of Locarno was hammered out, additionally signed by AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN for Great Britain, ARISTEDE BRIAND for France, EDUARD BENES for Czechoslovakia, GUSTAV STRESEMANN and HANS LUTHER for Germany, DINO GRANDI and VITTORIO SCIALOJA. Mussolini and Grandi's signatures are very bold, the balance have faded to medium brown, with the mount bearing some light foxing. The vain Mussolini can be seen at left, craning his neck to be certain that he is seen in the photograph. After six difficult years attempting to implement the onerous terms of the Treaty of Versailles, a settlement was reached at Locarno, based on a group of treaties: Germany agreed to accept its post-Versailled borders in exchange for France, Belgium and Germany agreeing not to attack each other. Italy and Britain agreed to come to the aid of any of those three nations, if one of them was attacked, and France offered protection to Poland and Czechoslovakia if attacked by Germany. The effect of the treaty was calming for a short while: Germany joined the League of Nations in 1926, but with the world-wide depression and the rise of Nazism from 1929-33, all bets were off. $2,000 - 3,000