852.00/6801: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:05 p.m.]
1546. We were told at the Foreign Office this morning that they had talked on the telephone late last night with Corbin after the meeting of the Non-intervention Subcommittee in London. Corbin [Page 429] said that yesterday’s meeting could be summed up by the word “confusion”: the Russians had said that instead of voting against the section of the British plan relating to belligerent rights, they would abstain from voting and that abstention should not prevent progress being made on withdrawing foreigners. The Germans had taken the point of view that abstention and Russian opposition were the same thing and that there must be unanimity of rights in the draft resolution. The Italians who at the previous meeting had appeared to recede from the demand for unanimity yesterday had approved the German position. Corbin said that the meeting was so utterly confused that it was impossible for him to describe it accurately on paper and he was therefore coming to Paris where he was expected today to discuss the situation.
Our informant at the Foreign Office said that the Russians abstained from voting on the question of belligerent rights rather than voting against this question, constituted an advance and showed some good will on the part of Russia. On the other hand one had to admit that there was something to be said for the German and Italian point of view that, unless unanimity could be agreed upon for granting belligerent rights, (after of course substantial withdrawal of volunteers), a most difficult situation might arise: for example if all the other powers except Russia granted Franco the right to stop and search their ships it was certain that Franco would stop and search Russian ships as well and this would provoke a serious incident.
While feeling that yesterday’s meeting was a setback the Foreign Office hopes that the next meeting of the Subcommittee set for Tuesday will make it possible to present the draft resolution to the full Committee on Wednesday in such a manner as to bring out definitely where each country stands regarding the essential provisions of the British plan.
Regarding Mussolini’s championship of the German claim for colonies in his speech the day before yesterday, our informant said that, while this was, historically, a new departure in Italian policy since it was the first time that the Italian Government had officially come out in favor of Germany’s claim, the speech had caused little interest in France where opinion was becoming “bored” by such pronouncements. In response to an inquiry as to the reason which might have [induced?] Mussolini to take this position, our informant said that it might have been one of several things: possibly promise of further support in Spain; possibly assurance that Germany did not intend to push matters in Austria or Czechoslovakia.
The German refusal to attend the Brussels Conference on the Far Eastern question has not surprised the Foreign Office here: they feel that Germany and Italy are in agreement as to the manner in which Italy will represent their joint views at Brussels.
[Page 430]Copies to London, Rome, Berlin; last paragraph to American Delegation, Brussels.