ADSS
1.2016 Valerio Valeri, France, to Luigi Maglione, Sec State
Reference:
Report 9152/311 (AES 6938/39)
Location
and date: Paris, 21.09.1939
Summary
statement: International situation seen from Paris; possibility for peace;
Russia’s attitude; Italian neutrality; negotiations with Turkey; possible
mediators of peace.
Language:
Italian
Text:
The
day before yesterday, in the afternoon, I was received by M. Champetier de
Ribes, who had called on me the previous day on behalf of the Prime Minister
and Minister for Foreign Affairs, M. Daladier. (1)
At
the Quai d’Orsay everybody was waiting for the speech that Herr Hitler was
going to make in Danzig and which everybody, even here, believed would open a
peace offensive. (2) I understood that if this was so the speech would be given
a certain amount of attention by the Government here. There are in fact amongst the members of the
Government some who would welcome the end of the conflict, if possible. As far as I was concerned I just mentioned a
few conditions which could help this, such as the restitution of the
independence to Czechoslovakia and an outlet on Memel to Poland, although that
country has already been deprived, unfortunately, of part of its
territory. But the peace offensive has
probably been postponed and, in the meantime, the Council of Ministers
yesterday proclaimed its intention to wage the war until final victory, echoing
Mr Chamberlain’s reply to Hitler. (3) It is superfluous to tell Your Eminence,
in this respect, that the occupation of Polish territory by Russia has
dispelled the last illusions on the Soviets reaching agreement with Germany, as
it has profoundly altered the facts concerning the European problem.
I
believe that because of this new factor, the enormous importance of Italian
neutrality is beginning to be recognised by everybody. M. Champetier de Ribes, who belongs, as Your
Eminence knows, to a group always opposed to Fascism, told me that good news
was coming from Italy but it was better not to talk much about it in order not
to create difficulties to those in charge.
He added that he hoped that everything would continue as present.
For
my part I merely add that the rumour is circulating here that many troops are
being transferred from the French to the German front on the Brenner, which in
my opinion, could be a simple precautionary measure.
It
is, however, difficult to see, how, after the liquidation of Poland, the war
can be carried out on the western front, without going beyond sorties and aerial
bombardments, which would mean terrible and total destruction, In fact the
Balkan Sector, owing to circumstances, has lost its importance and Turkey
itself can no longer contribute to the execution of great projects. With reference to the latter country, some
circles state that they have urged France to hand over Syria immediately and
when this Government refused because of the changed circumstances, replied that
they may start negotiations again with Moscow.
For this reason, perhaps, the journey of the Turkish Minister for
Foreign Affairs to Moscow had been announced, a journey which has been delayed
for a few days. (4)
Does
Moscow intend to keep out in order to intervene late in the struggle as an
intermediary? Some people would
interpret it in this way because of the fact that several Communist members of
Parliament have the other day distributed some leaflets in the corridors of the
Palace Bourbon (5), evidently with the consent of the Russian Embassy here, in
which the failure of the famous negotiations was attributed to Britain and it
was affirmed that Stalin has decided to observe the strictest neutrality (after
having taken his share of Polish territory).
If
this were true, it would be much better that similar action were taken, at a
proper moment, by M. Mussolini and by President Roosevelt, not to speak of the
Holy Father. Some people are looking
forward to the next Pan-American Conference (6), which will be presided over by
Roosevelt himself; but unfortunately, it would seem very difficult for a peace
initiative to have any hope of success at this moment.
Notes:
(1)
Auguste Champetier de Ribes, (1882-1947), French Senator 1934-40, a senior
advisor to Edourd Daladier (1884-1970), French Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister 1938-39-40.
(2)
Hitler addressed a large gathering of Nazi faithful in Danzig in the evening of
the same day as the Nuncio’s report to Rome.
The text can be found here: http://www.hitler.org/speeches/09-13-39.html In the speech Hitler said Germany had no
territorial claims on Britain or France but Germany had been forced into war
because of Polish outrages against German minorities. Germany had only ever sought the way of peace
but the war-mongers in other states had encouraged Polish aggression. Even so, the inferior Poles had, in many
instances fought heroically at the lower levels while deserted by the Polish
officers and military leadership. Text
follows below.
(3)
Neville Chamberlain, (1869-1940), British Prime Minister 1937-40. Formal
Declaration of War, 03.09.1939: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/ww2outbreak/7957.shtml?page=txt
(4)
Mehmet Sukru Saracoglu (1886-1953), Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs
1938-42, visited Moscow in late September and October 1939 for talks regarding
Soviet proposals to revise the 1936 Montreux Convention which had given Turkey
an internationally recognised and exclusive right to control access to the
Bosphorus and Dardenelles. The Soviet
Union wanted control over the straits, a foreign policy direction that traced
former Imperial Russian policy back to the reign of Catherine the Great. Turkey refused. Tensions between the USSR and Turkey were not
resolved until 1947 when Turkey abandoned neutrality and sided with the Western
Powers.
(5)
The Bourbon Palace housed the National Assembly.
(6)
The Pan-American Conference or the International Conference of American States,
made up of the republics of the Americas, met periodically from 1889. There was no Pan-American Conference during
the war, although there were several meetings of Foreign Ministers (September
1939, July 1940 and July 1942). The 1939
meeting was held in Panama City and the delegates issued statements affirming
Northern and Southern American neutrality south of Canada, and warnings to
belligerent states to respect North and South American territorial waters.
(Canada joined the Union of American States in 1989)
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