852.00/5634: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Phillips) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 3—3:35 p.m.]
259. My 257, June 1, 6 p.m.4 During my conversation with Count Ciano this afternoon I asked him whether he could give me any reassuring information with regard to the situation that had developed as the result of the recent bombing of Italian and German ships. He said that there was no further step in preparation or in contemplation and that the Italian Government was doing everything it could to prevent any further incidents, that Italian ships had been withdrawn to places of safety, that the Government was continuing to carry out strictly the terms of the Non-intervention Agreement and was not sending forward any men or arms in spite of certain press allegations to that effect and that he was waiting to see what guarantees the Nonintervention Committee could provide. The German and Italian Governments, he said, were in close collaboration but there had been no request made of the Committee by either of them as yet for any precise guarantees. While it is widely held here that the bombing of Italian and German ships on international duty is an exceedingly serious matter, in my opinion the Italians are most anxious to avoid any further complications in an already complicated situation.
- Not printed.↩