132. Telegram From the Embassy in Italy to the Department of State1
4757. During course 40-minute talk with Pella May 28 he assured me Ital foreign policy had been and would continue be based on close collaboration with US. He added however if Italy to continue collaborate with US, Ital Govt must be put in position where it not embarrassed before Parliament and Ital public opinion by unexpected developments concerning Italy on which she has not been consulted. I told him we agreed completely and went into some detail regarding assurances Vice Pres Nixon had given during course of his recent visit to Rome.2
Two points which seemed to concern Pella most were disarmament and German reunification. I again assured him that barring emergencies no action affecting Italy would be taken without prior consultation. I added it was my understanding that Ital Embassy in London was being kept informed of disarmament discussions which [Page 416] after all were UN rather than a US affair and that if Ambassador Zoppi3 not being adequately informed I would like to know about it. Pella raised point that whole disarmament question should be thoroughly discussed in NATO calling attention to use reference and other statements of President and/or Secretary on this subject, I said I believed it would be. He told me “in confidence” that an illustration from a recent US paper or magazine including Ital territory in proposed aerial inspection zone was discussed at Ital Cabinet meeting May 27 with considerable fervor. I told Pella that so far as I knew no American proposal had involved any commitment with regard to aerial inspection of any European country.
In regard to German reunification I again called Pella’s attention to statements of President and/or Secretary to effect no commitments would be made without NATO consultation. Pella said clarification of US position on this point was particularly important because criticism of Italy’s non-participation in German reunification talks came not from left in Italy but from center and right and that these critics were ones urging more independent foreign policy which Pella does not want.
Throughout discussion Pella indicated strong feelings re strengthening NATO’s position in dealing with such problems. During discussion I was able to make point, which had arisen in Western European Chiefs of Mission meeting,3 that any neutral zone involving West Germany would probably result in withdrawal of all US forces from Europe for purely logistical and strategic reasons. Pella said that he appreciated this. I believe it would be most helpful if US position on disarmament, neutral zone and German reunification would be given me in form for presentation to Pella. Subsequent to above conversation I have called his attention to Adenauer–Eisenhower communiqué.4
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 765.00/5–2957. Confidential. Repeated to London, Paris, and Bonn.↩
- See Documents 126 and 127.↩
- See vol. IV, pp. 571 ff.↩
- Count Vittorio Zoppi, Italian Ambassador in the United Kingdom.↩
- For text of the joint statement of May 28, 1957, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957, p. 420.↩