740.00/1686: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Phillips) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 9—4:04 p.m.]
219. During a conversation with Ciano7 this morning he remarked apparently with confidence that Europe was entering upon a “long period of peace.” In reply to my inquiry as to whether his statement included the Danzig problem as well as the Italo-French difficulties he intimated that Germany had no intention of pushing the former to a solution and that the Italian Government was equally prepared to postpone the solution of their problems with the French. There had always been unsettled problems in Europe he added and there was no reason why these to which I had referred should not await their turn.
The Minister is preparing to leave for Madrid on or about June 20 on a visit to General Franco. He said that no military alliance between Spain and the Axis powers was being considered at the present time but added that possibly it might come later.
- Count Galeazzo Ciano, Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩