765.84/857: Telegram
The Chargé in France (Marriner) to the Secretary of State
702. Eden asked me to see him this morning. He is as profoundly discouraged as all the others, particularly by the noncooperation of Mussolini in so long delaying an answer to the proposals made to him by France and English [England] last Friday. Eden said that to hasten matters they had made their ultimate offer including economic concession in Abyssinia, possible working out through the League at the request of Ethiopia of a kind of tripartite advisory control of Ethiopian finance, customs, et cetera, in which in practice France and England could yield to Italy as well as the cession of a port such as Zeilah to the Abyssinians to permit the Emperor to cede certain other territories that would meet Italian demands and save Italian face.
Eden said that he had not talked as yet with the Abyssinians on these subjects as he felt it no use until there should be a definite proposition satisfactory to Italy and safeguarding the League which could be put up to Ethiopia.
In case Mussolini refuses the proposals put before him, and I hear that Aloisi is with Laval now, Eden feels that the forthcoming session of the Council and Assembly can avail nothing and only bring about the retirement of Italy from the institution and the wrecking of the peace machinery of the world.
[Page 632]He is also disturbed by the fact that Italy while injuring itself from the financial and economic points of view by the maintenance of a vast fighting force becomes in so far as Europe is concerned a constant danger. He said that the French were considerably alarmed about the difficulties in Albania lest they ignite trouble between Italy and Yugoslavia.
Eden said that he had yesterday cabled Lindsay59 hoping that the United States could find its way to some means of convincing Mussolini of the deep interest of all powers in the maintenance of peace.
Sir Herbert Malkin legal adviser of the Foreign Office is flying over today to work on a reply to the legal points raised by the Italians under the Treaty of 1906 all of which according to Eden have no practical bearing on the present problem.