740.00119 Control (Italy)/8–247: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Dunn) to the Secretary of State
urgent
2191. Dept’s 1288, July 31. General Lee is coming to Rome Monday1 to confer with me and British Embassy re situation arising out of proposed reduction of British troops.
From all information which has come to us here the existing situation in Venezia Giulia in no sense warrants any degree of complacency such as might be inferred from reduction of troop strength in that area prior to going into effect of treaty. Reduction of British troops will inevitably give rise to the question of military commitments in Venezia Giulia which in turn depend on our political commitments. Military commanders here have already expressed themselves as convinced that they are now at an irreducible minimum of troop strength required to fulfill the commitment assigned to them, principally maintenance of status quo and prevention of disorder. My preliminary reaction is that we cannot reduce our political commitments concerning Venezia Giulia and that any reduction of troop strength in Venezia Giulia will endanger the carrying out of those commitments.
Sent Dept, Leghorn 80.
- August 4.↩