852.00/7512: Telegram
The Chargé in France ( Wilson ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:40 p.m.]
418. I have just seen Massigli.25 He said that the succession of victories gained by the Nationalists over the government forces in Spain after the first battle of Teruel has been due entirely to their superiority in aviation and artillery all of which has been furnished [Page 163] by Italy and Germany. He said that beginning with the end of December and continuing through January there have been a marked increase in the number of Italian and German airplanes observed in Spain. He said that while the French Government had no absolute proof that the Germans and Italians had shipped planes to Spain in the past few days there were indications that this had in fact taken place.
Massigli read me a telegram just received from the French Chargé d’Affaires at Rome. This telegram reported reliable information to the effect that at the last meeting of the Fascisti Grand Council Mussolini had declared that he had been given definite assurances by Hitler of complete support for the achievement of Italian objectives. The telegram went on to say that there were unmistakable indications that Mussolini had been deeply impressed by Hitler’s success in Austria26 and that he would attempt to follow Hitler’s tactics in achieving Italian aims. The Chargé reported that before long it could be expected that Mussolini would proclaim himself the protector of Italians living outside of Italian frontiers, this being aimed particularly at Tunis. The Chargé reported his conviction that Mussolini would use the British negotiations as a means of gaining time, while the victory of the Nationalists in Spain was completed and the establishment of Italian forces in Spain and the Balearics made secure with the deliberate intention of provoking war in the Mediterranean when circumstances were most favorable.
Massigli said that the Chargé d’Affaires on the basis of observation made on the ground in Italy had thus arrived at the same conclusion which the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs had reached sometime ago as being the correct interpretation of the significance of the Rome–Berlin Axis as applied to Italian objectives. See my 403, March 14, 7 p.m.27 reporting conversations with Léger.28 There were people in the government who believed that if war was now inevitable with Italy it would be better to cease immediately the farce of non-intervention and to eject the Italians from Spain and the Balearics rather than to have the war take place a short time hence when Italy had firmly established her forces in these places. He said, however, that as yet there had been no decision to abandon the non-intervention policy. The British were urging caution and he spoke bitterly of the facility with which the British allow themselves to be duped when it is a matter concerning the essential interests of France.
He stated that the situation was very serious.