INTEGRITY PACT

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1937, Page 9

INTEGRITY PACT

| SPANISH TERRITORY BRITAIN AND ITALY AGREE (British Official Wireless.) (Received January 4, 11.45 a.m.) RUGBY, January 3. The Notes exchanged in Rome on December 31 between the British Ambassador, Sir Eric Drummond, and the Italian Foreign Minister, Count Ciano, on the integrity of the present territories of. Spain are now made public. - The British Ambassador in his Note begins by recalling the House of Commons question and answer of December 16 on the guarantee given to the British Government by the Government of Italy concerning the Balearic Islands, and cites Mr. Eden's account of the giving of assurances in which he pointed out: "His Majesty's Charged' Affairs in Rome, acting on instructions, informed the Italian Foreign Minister on September 12 that any alteration of the status quo ii. the Western Mediterranean would be a j matter of the closest concern to his Majesty's Government. Mr. Eden continued that, taking note of this communication, the Italian Foreign Minister had assured Mr. Ingram that the Italian Government had not, cither before or since the revolution in Spain, engaged in any negotiations with General Franco whereby the status quo in the Western Mediterranean would be altered, nor would tftey engage in any such negotiations in future. This assurance, the Secretary of State added, was subsequently reaffirmed spontaneously to the British \ Naval Attache in Rome by the Italian Ministry of Marine, and the Italian Ambassador in London had on several occasions given to the Secretary of State! similar verbal assurances." !

Sir Eric Drummond's Note then proceeds: "In view of these assurances his Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom assumes thai, so far as Italy is concerned the integrity of the present territories of Spain shall in all circumstances remain intact and unmodified. They would, however, be grateful if your Excellency saw your way formally to confirm the accuracy nf this assumption, and I have accordingly the honour to inquire whether your Excellency could supply me with such a confirmation."

Count Ciano's Note, after recapitulating the verbal assurances as recalled by the Ambassador, reads: "I have consequently no difficulty on behalf of the Royal Italian Government in confirming the accuracy of his Majesty's Government's assumption, namely, that so far as Italy is concerned the integrity of the present territories of Spain shall in all circumstances remain intact and unmodified."