760C.62/987: Telegram

The Ambassador in Italy (Phillips) to the Secretary of State

330. Yesterday after I had read the President’s message to the King he asked me to express his cordial thanks to the President and to say that he would of course at once communicate it to his Government. More than that he said he could not say in view of his powers as constitutional sovereign. He assured me that not one person in Italy desired war and he repeated “not one person”.

As soon as I had delivered the message the Embassy in Rome handed a copy of it to the Foreign Office inasmuch as it seemed important in view of the fact that the message was being made public in the United States that the Italian Government should be in a position to make it public simultaneously.

Only the late editions of the morning press contain the briefest reference to the message.

Phillips