740.0011 European War 1939/3352: Telegram
The Minister in Greece ( MacVeagh ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:25 p.m.]
108. The Greek public has received the news of Belgium’s surrender with consternation and an Italian attack on France is almost universally regarded as imminent. The Director of the Foreign Office however in telling me this morning that the Greek Government still has no information of any threatening Italian movements in this area suggested that Mussolini’s next move might be a peace offensive rather than a military one, since “It is not to Italy’s interest to have Germany too strong and if peace can be made now Italy will still count for something in the Axis”. He indicated that Greece’s official policy of defending herself if attacked remains unchanged.
[Page 529]The German Military Attaché told Johnson7 this morning that Italy is sure to enter the war very soon but that she is unlikely to attack in the Balkans and especially in Greece because the strategic advantages to be gained are “secondary” and because “Germany does not wish it”. In this connection it may be significant that the already large German Legation here has recently been reinforced and its increasing propaganda takes no account whatever of Italian pretensions.
- Capt. Max S. Johnson, formerly Assistant Military Attaché in France, on temporary duty in Greece pending arrival of permanent Military Attaché.↩