852.00/5839: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Phillips) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 25—5:19 p.m.]
300. My 299, June 25, noon.20 In discussing the Spanish situation with Count Ciano this afternoon he said that the Italian and German Governments were dealing with the immediate situation in a very moderate way and would continue to do so. There was one question, however, of importance which had not been discussed between Berlin and Rome and which had been raised by Chamberlain in his speech this afternoon: namely, how to handle the gaps in the control situation created by the absence of the Italian and German naval vessels. Ciano said that the most important point to be settled in this regard was to make sure that there would be no blockade of the Franco forces by the British and French ships. However, inasmuch as the Italians and Germans still remained members of the London Non-intervention Committee this was a problem for them to work out. In reply to my inquiry as to how the land control was operating, Ciano said that neither the land or the sea control had been in any way effective. He intimated that in these circumstances international control was not and could not be in the future a very important one.
- Not printed.↩