852.00/2743: Telegram
The Chargé in Italy (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 22—6:45 a.m.]
342. My 339, August 20, 5 p.m. Following are the principal points of the Italian reply on the matter of “non-intervention” in Spain which was delivered to French Ambassador by the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs yesterday evening.
With the intention of doing insofar as the Italian Government is concerned everything possible to facilitate or expedite the conclusion of an accord the Italian Government undertakes in conformity with the terms proposed by the French Government: (1) To prohibit on its part the exportation direct and indirect, the reexportation or transit to Spain, to Spanish possessions or the Spanish zone in Morocco of arms, munitions, and materials of war as well as airplanes assembled or nonassembled and war vessels; (2) to apply this prohibition to all [Page 508] contracts in course of execution; (3) to maintain contact with the other interested states for reciprocal communication of all measures taken to give effect to this declaration.
The Italian Government for its part will give effect to this declaration as soon as the Governments of France, England, Portugal, Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have likewise adhered.
Since, however in the French proposal mention is made also of “indirect interferences” without specifying its nature the Italian Government desires to make it clear that it interprets this indirect interference in the sense that public subscriptions or enlistments of volunteers for either of the conflicting parties are not admissible in the countries adhering to the accord. The Italian Government in agreeing to adhere to “direct” non-intervention has the honor to maintain, however, its observations insofar as “indirect” non-intervention is concerned. Furthermore since there are in Europe other important states producing arms other than those to which the French project refers it seems essential to the Italian Government that the undertaking of non-intervention shall be assumed also by these states.