852.00/4708: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State

222. Referring to our 212, February 15, 6 p.m. While the Foreign Office is relieved at the action of the London subcommittee yesterday in setting February 20 as the date for stopping volunteers for Spain, they state that their information is to the effect that Grandi39 in agreeing to this proposal may have gone a little further than his instructions authorized and that there is an unfavorable reaction in Rome. Furthermore, commenting on stories in the London and Paris press this morning that Italian agreement in London yesterday came about as a result of “threats” made by France to resume freedom of action unless immediate progress was made regarding non-intervention, the Foreign Office states that these stories are wholly without foundation. They say that neither Corbin in London nor Blum in his talk yesterday with Cerruti40 made any “threats” whatsoever regarding resuming freedom of action and that they only continued to urge the necessity of setting the earliest possible date to make nonintervention effective. The Foreign Office states that these press stories are also causing an unfavorable reaction in Rome and they are somewhat doubtful whether the ban on volunteers will really be made effective as of February 20. They are much more doubtful, in fact, quite skeptical, whether the entire scheme of control can be put into effect on March 6.

Copies to London, Rome, Berlin.

Bullitt
  1. Count Dino Grandi, Italian Ambassador in the United Kingdom.
  2. Vittorio Cerruti, Italian Ambassador in France.