852.00/4990: Telegram
The Chargé in France (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 22—2:15 p.m.]
393. I was told at the Foreign Office this morning that they continue to be greatly worried over the situation growing out of the active participation of regular Italian troops in the Spanish conflict. The Foreign Office fears that the Valencia Government may insist upon an extraordinary meeting of the Council of the League of Nations to consider this question and it feels that this could only lead to further difficulties. The Foreign Office “understands” that the British Government has in fact made certain inquiries by radio regarding this situation with particular reference to the reports that Italian troops have landed in large numbers in Spain since February 20.
The official with whom I spoke said that they were doing everything they could at the Foreign Office to keep the French press from playing up this matter of Italian troops in Spain as they had hoped that despite the difficulties being encountered in the London Committee it might be possible to reach agreement before long on all the details of the control system, and once this was actually in effect it should of course put an end to further landings of Italian troops in Spain and thereby ease the situation.
I gather that there is concern here regarding what Mussolini’s next move may be as a result of the recent reverses of the Italian troops northeast of Madrid. A well informed friend tells me that the divergence of views which existed last August between the Presidency of the Council and the Foreign Office regarding the best way of dealing with the problem of foreign intervention in Spain may again become apparent.