-13-                            
 
                                                            
 
 
know how I think outside?" At that moment I realized that  
the public might be informed of his anti-German attitude. I  
replied 'yes, they know a little." "And what is the public  
opinion?" I shrugged my shoulders and replied '",well, they say it is   
alright, but, there is the iron-pact?" His face  
darkened as he said "Ah' in regard to that, they will one  
day find out how it was concluded." I replied that I might already'   
know, or believed that I tmew. He responded that he  
was curious to know if it were true and I then proposed to  
relate that which I knew, and if I were wrong, he should  
please correct me. He accepted and I started my version of  
                         the pact:                          
 
                                                            
 
 
 "You left for Milan to meet Ribbentrop. Up to that moment no   
pact had ever been mentioned between Italy and Germany. There was an   
agreement between You and Mussolini, that it would be worth while   
siding with Germany and use it as a valuable playcard in the game with   
England, but You never had the intention of letting things go too far,  
but to keep things within a certain limit." Ciano followed  
my story with growing surprise. As I made a pause, he exclaimed.   
"Exactly, so it was|" "'You had hardly arrived in Milan and scarcely   
communicated with Ribbentrop when You were called to the telephone. It,   
was Rome calling. Over the wire came the voice of Mussolini. He said:   
'Offer them a military alliance. You remained speechless. Then You   
tried to object, but Mussolini insisted, 'I have told You to offer   
Ribbentrop a military allience.' And then  
You asked to have the main paragraphs of the proposed pact dictated.   
And - in fact - there were three paragraphs   
                        the most...