865.00/3–348: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
1148. Departments 662 March 21 just received (Department’s 663 March 2)2 and I will discuss the Italian question at once with Bidault. The following information obtained today from high Foreign Office official is of interest as an indication of latest French thinking:
Foreign Office continues to view the situation in Italy with utmost gravity (my 1061 February 27)3 and feels that while US, UK and French Governments may each independently be able to take certain steps to strengthen the present Italian Government, the combined efforts and cooperated action of the French, British and US Governments in certain questions is essential.
The following measures which the French can take themselves without tripartite cooperation being necessary or even desirable have been approved by the government:
- 1.
- In addition to accepting Military and Naval Attachés (on the condition they are not Communist, my 250 January 154) French have informed Italians they may now also accredit consular representatives to France and consular agreement will soon be signed.
- 2.
- The French Government will retrocede certain territories acquired recently from Italy as a result of the peace treaty. The delimination of such areas is being worked out by the National Defense Minister.
- 3.
- Bidault has accepted Sforza’s invitation to visit Turin for the signing of the Franco-Italian customs union agreement. While definite date not yet fixed he envisages about March 10. As former President of the National Council of Resistance he will decorate Italian resistance heros and will also make a speech where he will announce that French will retrocede certain territories. He will also announce France is not demanding full compliance with naval protocol of Italian treaty insofar as repairing Italian ships is concerned which will assist Italian economy and that France will not take all vessels allocated her.
While my source said that the above measures may be helpful to De Gasperi Government the French believe that they are of very secondary importance compared with the vital question of the colonies and to lesser extent the question of Trieste. Foreign Office believes Italian people are more interested in the fate of the colonies than anything else and that Communists as a result of Moscow’s stand on Italian colonies are making much hay. He said French believe that it is imperative that the US and UK join with the French in some tripartite formula which “must be announced before March 25 if it is to do any good,” which would place three governments in support of principle of Italian sovereignty over colonies. He expressed hope that US would go along with the French on this, and would also work on the British, who, he believes, are the main stumbling block for any such action.
Foreign Office is also seriously concerned about Communist exploitation of Trieste. According to Foreign Office’s information the Soviets have through Belgrade put forward some feelers to the Italians indicating that if the Americans and British will get out of zone A Moscow would not be opposed to Italy re-acquiring sovereignty over zone A. He said Italian Communists are spreading the story publicly and in governmental and parliamentary circles in Italy that Moscow is not opposed to the reestablishment of Italian sovereignty over Trieste (implying all of Trieste) and that it is the US, France and UK who wish to deprive Italy of the area. While French thinking on how to combat this propaganda has not yet fully crystallized, the present thought of Foreign Office is that the US, British and France would counter this by stating that they do not oppose the return of all of Trieste to Italy. Foreign Office appears convinced that the Soviets have no intention of ceding zone B to Italians and that they would be obliged to come out and say so thereby putting themselves squarely on the spot and knocking the props from under their propaganda.
In conclusion our informant expressed again the “imperative necessity” for tripartite action in the colonial question and to lesser extent on Trieste.
[Page 841]Repeated to London 143, to Rome 94, to Moscow as 73, to Berlin as 80, and to Belgrade as 13.