500.C Covenant/102: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Long) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received November 25—11:20 a.m.]
141. My 135, November 21, 3 p.m.33 I had a conversation this morning with the British Ambassador34 and asked him about the conversations in Rome centering around the visit of Mr. Avenol, the Secretary General of the League of Nations, who saw the Chief of the Government yesterday. Sir Eric said that he was sure that Avenol had no plan, as one time reported, to make changes in the structure of the League. He thought that the Fascist Grand Council would pass some resolution in connection with the League probably directed to suggesting changes to its structure in the form of amendments to the Covenant, and said he personally thought that it might be worth while to have them put their objections on record so that the matters might be specifically discussed.
The British Ambassador also said that he was certain the Italians would not withdraw from the League because if they did they would have to make an alliance and that they did not wish to do so. He said that while he was Secretary General of the League he learned in Geneva that the original reasons motivating the Italians in their plans to negotiate the Four Power Pact were that France was pressing them for an alliance on one side and Germany pressing them for an alliance on the other side and that they did not want an alliance with either of them. Consequently they initiated the movement of the Four Power Pact. And because they do not want an alliance and would be forced to make one if they left the League the British Ambassador is satisfied that they will not leave.
In discussing disarmament the British Ambassador said that he had no news and that he thought the only movement in those discussions [Page 322] was between Berlin and Paris. He thought there would not be a meeting of the four powers for some length of time in the future if there was ever a meeting and that the preliminary steps to bring Germany back into the Disarmament Conference would take the shape of diplomatic negotiations rather than a conference. He thought that some negotiations might be held in Berlin and some in Rome and some in Paris and would be carried on between the Ambassadors in the different capitals in conference with the head of the government in whichever capital they happened to be. Repeated to Geneva.