124.842/148: Telegram
The Minister Resident in Ethiopia (Engert) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 3—9:45 a.m.]
507. Following is background to my 489, July 25th63 and 493, July 28th. The Marshal sent for me and told me rather naively that he [Page 309] had just received instructions from the Duce himself to maintain cordial relations with the American Legation because the Italian Government was animated by the most friendly sentiments towards the United States. He added that Count Ciano wished his personal greetings conveyed to me as he had pleasant recollections of our associations in China and wanted to assure me that none of the recent measures regarding radio stations and ciphers was at any time directed against me or the American Legation. There were, however, he said “certain Legations which you know and I need not mention” whose discretion and impartiality the Italian Government did not trust and therefore wished to prevent from broadcasting fanciful and spurious news to the detriment of Italian interests.
I thanked the Marshal for his frankness and requested him to remember me very cordially to Count Ciano. I then said that I felt the best proof of friendly feelings would be if he restored to me the right to use my codes in communication with Washington. He replied that he personally saw no objection and in my presence gave instructions that recommendations in that sense be telegraphed to Rome. I assume the message I mentioned in my 493, July 28, 8 a.m., was the result of his suggestion to the Italian Government.
In the course of our conversation Graziani also referred to his speech from which certain passages were quoted in my 487, July 24th64 and stated that circumstances obliged him to use such surplus language although he had no intention of hurting the feelings of all foreigners. This remark and the way he said it left me with the distinct impression that Rome had read my 487 which was en clair and had instructed him to make sure that his references to foreign interests and intrigues, et cetera, would not be interpreted as including the United States.