840.20/1–1849: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Belgium
57. Text Italian Memo1 referred to [in] your 87 Jan 182 given Embs of Brussels Treaty countries here Jan 13 for transmission their Govts through Brussels Treaty channels.
You may tell Spaak that US position remains substantially as stated Annex C Dec 24 paper3 but we would accept Italian inclusion in Council of Europe as sufficient evidence of close Italian ties with Brussels Treaty countries to warrant inclusion of Italy in Atlantic Pact. We do not feel any other Medit country should be included. US Joint Chiefs feel strongly non-inclusion of Italy in either Brussels or Atlantic would be unrealistic from mil point of view and that while Italian membership in either might in emergency be of doubtful value it would certainly be harmful from mil viewpoint if she were member of neither.
As alternatives to Italian participation as original member Atlantic Pact it has been suggested that Italy be admitted to some form of limited membership or that original members issue statement at time of signature to effect they would consider armed attack on Italy cause for strong reaction. We feel either these alternatives would if they meant anything involve substantially same responsibility for other members as would full Italian membership but that neither would be adequate to accomplish objectives of avoiding unfavorable Italian reaction and strengthening Italian ties with West.
- See memorandum of conversation by Hickerson, January 12, p. 23.↩
- In telegram 87, Ambassador Kirk stated that Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, had just expressed to him his concern over news of Italy’s request to be included in the Atlantic Pact. Spaak feared that inclusion of one Mediterranean power would lead to requests from others, and he believed that the step might logically be followed by an Italian request to enter the Brussels Pact, a move he thought might be considered premature by the original members. (840.20/1–1849)↩
- Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. iii, p. 339.↩