My dear P.M.,

There is not very much new to say about Italy. Relations with all
her neighbours are still bad. Mussolini has just made another
outburst-this time against Austria, in answer to interpellations
in the Austrian Parliament commenting on the rather brutal
Italianisation of the part of the Tyrol that Italy got from
Austria as a result of the War.

Sir Ronald Graham (H.M. Ambassador at Rome), in recording a
conversation with the Austrian Minister in Rome [1], states that
the latter informed him confidentially that the funds for keeping
alive the propaganda against the Italianisation of the Tyrol were
'supplied from Paris to Munich and Innsbruck'. French diplomacy,
for obvious reasons, does not wish this sore between Italy and the
German-speaking peoples to close.

The bad feeling between France and Italy sets the tone of Italian
foreign relations generally. Italy sees the hand of France
everywhere. She both despises and fears France whom she regards as
decadent. She imagines France is trying to block her path and to
stir up trouble for her everywhere.

The Italo-Albanian Treaty of Tirana [2] was effected by Italy as a
countermove to the Franco-Jugoslav Pact. [3] The Foreign Office
say that until Briand [4] and Mussolini get together and hatch
something better in the way of collaboration, the conversations
between Rome and Belgrade will hang fire.

The negotiations regarding Italian Flag Discrimination [5] seem to
be getting rather nearer finality. However, the Italians are
rather like an Aunt Sally show-as soon as you knock down one
particular type of discrimination, they produce another. Just when
it all seemed settled lately, they invent a new means of getting
people to travel on Italian ships-by giving free consular visas. I
suggested to the Foreign Office that when the final exchange of
notes takes place, we should add a protocol to the effect that-
everything else to the contrary notwithstanding, neither side
shall indulge in any more dirty tricks, whether in mind at the
time of signing this instrument or subsequently adumbrated!

The Zinovief letter incident [6] has been reopened as a result of
the 'Francs' case [7], and the Labour Party are pressing in
Parliament for a thorough enquiry. The Government would not be
unwilling to have such an enquiry as they would like to lay the
ghost as much as anyone. However, they are unwilling to do so by
reason of the fact that the Zinovief letter came into the
possession of His Majesty's Government through a Secret Service
source, and they cannot run the risk of exposure to the light of
day of this necessary source of information.

An awkward twist has been given to the whole Zinovief business by
a most ill-timed letter from Marlowe [8], late Editor of the
'Daily Mail', to the 'Observer' of last Sunday (March 4th), in
which he exposes the story of how copy of the letter came into the
possession of the 'Daily Mail' and the use they made of it. He
evidently wrote the letter to prove that the 'Daily Mail' had paid
no money for the letter. What he achieved was a demonstration of
the obvious fact that someone in a Government Department had given
him early news by telephone of the existence of the letter and
presumably had afterwards let him have a copy of it. If the Labour
Party are in course of making it difficult for His Majesty's
Government to avoid another nasty enquiry, His Majesty's
Government will then have to put the thumbscrews on Marlowe by a
judicious use of the Official Secrets Act.

In conversation with Amery [9] a few days ago, he said that he had
talked to Mackenzie King [10] about Canadian diplomatic
representation abroad. The latter said that his object was to have
one Canadian Minister in Europe (i.e. at Paris) and one in Asia
(i.e. at Tokyo). The man in Paris would act in general as Canadian
representative at League meetings at Geneva. The Tokyo Minister
could go to Peking when necessary. He did not, he said, propose to
make any more such appointments. However, Amery is not satisfied
that the blandishments of Germany and Italy will not be too much
for future Canadian Governments and he thinks that the system may
grow. Amery has no illusions but that the whole scheme is one of
capitalising on national pride.

One can now telephone from one's office in London to America with
ease, and the cost has been reduced to 9 for three minutes.

Several men I know have done so lately and they say that you can
hear as well as any normal call in the London area. As I have a
few pertinent questions to ask the man who looks after my small
affairs there, I propose to telephone him next week.

D'Abernon [11] when in Berlin used to say to his staff at
intervals, especially when they brought him very long memoranda to
read: 'Why do people try to make papers comprehensive? All they
should be is comprehensible.' Sir Nevill Smyth [12] used to make a
similar remark during the war-to the effect that no paper should
be more than three pages long-any subject can be covered in that
space-with all the detail in appendices.

Recollection of these wise remarks makes me wonder if I am not an
offender. But I must plead (like Dr. Johnson, I think) that my
letters are long because I haven't time to write shorter ones.

Mrs. Amery was lately looking at some of the gifts that had come
her way during their tour, including a diamond given her in South
Africa and some sapphires from Queensland, when her small but
precocious son of eight said: 'There may be disadvantages in being
the wife of a Colonial Minister, but there also seem to be some
pickings.'

I am, Yours sincerely,
R.G. CASEY