File No. 763.72/7457
The Ambassador in France ( Sharp) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5 p.m.]
2656. While the press this morning makes no mention of the fact, though uniting in commenting upon the serious situation, both civil and military, in Italy, yet I learned last night from an unofficial but what I deem a reliable source that a war council from France suddenly called to consider the crisis presented on the Italian front where, according to the report, 60,000 Italian troops have been made prisoners and more than 500 guns captured. The question of paramount importance discussed was that of the practicability of sending French troops to their assistance.