740.0011 European War 1939/5731: Telegram

The Minister in Greece (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State

245. According to the Director General of the Foreign Office the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs recently informed several diplomats in Rome, though not the Greek Minister, that despite serious and important complaints against Greece, Italy will take no action at present but await a general postwar settlement of this region’s problems. The official attitude here, however, is still to take nothing for granted in regard to Italy and military preparations continue quietly.

Festivities in connection with the visit of the Yugoslav Minister of Commerce who attended the opening of the Salonika Fair last Sunday have been made the occasion for emphasizing solidarity between Greece and Yugoslavia but there is no indication here that Greece will cooperate with that country in a military sense unless she is herself attacked.

With regard to telegram No. 897, September 20, 4 p.m., from Rome,28 paragraph 2, it may be said that Greek resistance being predicated on the maintenance of British power in the Mediterranean, this country would probably pass into the Italian orbit without a struggle should that power collapse.

MacVeagh
  1. Not printed.