Estimated Germans will only require three or four more days to
reorganize armoured divisions and early drive southward against
French anticipated. War Cabinet decision is to send two divisions
immediately and certain air support, but nothing like what asked
for. Anxieties indicated last night of French capacity to hold
persist, but felt in many quarters that French morale has now
stiffened and they will fight on in face of further reverses.

Personally I have grave anxieties that further German successes
will lead to French collapse.

Italy being informed today of intention to stop ships. [1] I have
stressed that I see no point in doing so unless we were prepared
also to ask for definite assurances that Italy will not come into
the war and within an hour of their being refused act on line of
plans which have already been prepared. This course, however,
which I, with the support of the High Commissioners for South
Africa and Canada [2], acting entirely personally, have been
urging on the consideration of the United Kingdom Government for
some days, they are not prepared to take. Their grounds are the
possibility that Italy may still not come in, the difficulty of
obtaining French consent and the possibility of Turkey not
regarding herself as bound under treaty if war in the
Mediterranean brought about by Allied action. This last point
could have been overcome by active and resolute diplomacy. I have
been specially asked not to refer to subject matter of today's Z
cable. [3]

BRUCE