793.94 Conference/164: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Phillips) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 2—9:35 a.m.]
463. At the opening of the Conference in Brussels tomorrow Aldrovandi56 will say among other things that past experiences have demonstrated the inefficacy of international action in terminating hostilities between two countries and will refer specifically in this connection to the failure of such efforts on the part of the League of Nations to bring about settlements of the Manchurian and Chaco [Page 142] disputes. He will say that it is even more futile to expect any useful or concrete results to accrue from a conference from which one of the parties to the dispute is absent. He will assert that there can be no question of even discussing the determination of the aggressor much less the taking of direct or indirect action of any kind or the placing in “quarantine” of any nation. Admitting that he does not expect his remarks to be greeted with the same applause as those of the delegates who have preceded him Aldrovandi will conclude by saying that in the opinion of the Italian Government the only step which the Conference can properly take is to express the hope that China and Japan will enter into contact with a view to finding some way of bringing the controversy to a satisfactory conclusion.
Repeated to American delegation.
- Count Luigi Aldrovandi Marescotti, Italian delegate.↩