741.65/303
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received December 29.]
Sir: I have the honor to quote below from Hansard a question and the Foreign Secretary’s reply in the House of Commons on December 16, regarding the terms of the Italian guarantee relative to the Balearic Islands:
“Mr. Noel-Baker asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the precise terms of the guarantee given to His Majesty’s Government by the Government of Italy concerning the occupation of the Balearic Islands by Italian subjects?
[Page 614]“Mr. Eden: The assurances to which the Hon. Member refers were made verbally, and I am consequently not able to lay papers before the House. I can, however, give the following outline of the manner in which the assurances were given. His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires in Rome informed the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs on 12th September, on my instructions, that ‘any alteration of the status quo in Western Mediterranean would be a matter of the closest concern to His Majesty’s Government.’ In taking note of this communication, Count Ciano assured Mr. Ingram that the Italian Government had not, either before or since the revolution in Spain, engaged in any negotiations with General Franco whereby the status quo in the Western Mediterranean would be altered, nor would they engage in any such negotiations in the future. This assurance was subsequently reaffirmed spontaneously to the British Naval Attaché in Rome by the Italian Ministry of Marine, and the Italian Ambassador in London has on several occasions given me similar verbal assurances.”
In a conversation at the Foreign Office on the following day, the Embassy was informed that Mr. Eden’s above quoted statement was made in order to remind the Italian Government of the undertakings which they had given to the British Government last September, both in Rome and in London, in view of the activities of certain Fascisti in the Balearic Islands.
As regards the conversations between Ambassador Drummond and Count Ciano with the object of securing a new Anglo-Italian accord in the Mediterranean, the Foreign Office gave the following background: They said that these conversations were begun on the initiative of the Italian Government. Italy was desirous of balancing her position and therefore wanted to show Herr Hitler that they could reach a political agreement with Great Britain. It was clear that the Foreign Office felt more was to be obtained by permitting these negotiations to be protracted than to proceed to immediate understandings.
With reference to the contemplated Anglo-Italian accord, the Foreign Office said that it would be very general in nature and recognize that British and Italian interests in the Mediterranean do not conflict.
Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Embassy