740.5/5–1150: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Dunn) to the Acting Secretary of State
2006. Deptel Tosec 148, May 9.1 I am gratified at Department’s concurrence our views2 re Italy’s role in NAT and am confident that Sforza and the Italian Government will respond enthusiastically to any indication from Secretary of increasing confidence in Italy’s willingness and ability to contribute to success London meetings and furtherance objectives NAT organization.
Re Department’s comment reference telegram concerning Italian inclusion in standing group, it had not been my thought group should be reconstituted this time to include Italians. While at time formulation [Page 94] military organization NAT Embassy did consider there were valid and substantial arguments against Italian exclusion, I believe that that decision is a bitter pill which Italians have accepted and that no serious rancor remains concerning matter. Italians appreciate fact treaty limitations and some other considerations might justify decision re standing group and I have not been aware of any strong desire on their part reopen issue now.
While I appreciate administrative disadvantages of too large membership of a study group such as suggested to examine feasibility North Atlantic umbrella organization (Deptel Tosec 143, May 9) or of any specialized or executive group within NAT, I would strongly recommend that most careful consideration also be given to greater and quite possibly much more important psychological disadvantages, particularly with respect to Italy, should group be limited to “Big Three”. I am sure that extension to the political and economic fields of the exclusive concept of the standing group of the military organization would have a most discouraging effect on the Italian Government and would certainly not strengthen parliamentary and public support of the objectives of NAT.
Sent Department 2006, repeated London 286 for Secretary and Perkins, Paris 236.
- In telegram 148 to the Secretary of State in London, not printed, the Acting Secretary of State said he believed that the Rome Embassy’s observations and conclusions in its telegram 1842 merited sympathetic consideration. He added that there was no chance of including the Italians in the standing group. (740.5/5–550)↩
- The views expressed in Ambassador Dunn’s telegram 1842, May 5, to the Secretary of State, supra.↩