740.0011 European War 1939/28231

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle)

Sir Ronald Campbell6 came in to see me, at his request.

In the course of conversation he said that some time ago the British Government had handed us a note7 giving their views as to the political warfare to be employed against Italy. He wondered whether I could expedite an answer to the note.

I said that we had taken cognizance of the note and I would endeavor to expedite the answer, in writing, rather than to give one orally. I said there had been a slight difference of opinion, not in fundamentals, but in emphasis. The British position had been simply to leave the matter with a threat. The American feeling, and the information we had, seemed to indicate that as a matter of strict strategy it might be better to hold out a slight degree of hope that the Italians would ameliorate their position if they joined the Allies or got out of the war. This was implicit in the British position, but not accented. This, at least, appeared to be the general view here.

A[dolf] A. B[erle], Jr.
  1. British Minister.
  2. See annex to memorandum by the Under Secretary of State, dated December 4, 1942, p. 314.