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possible moment. Also, the British hope an Anglo-
Italian agreement will serve to hold Hitler down and 
make Hitler eventually more amenable to trading on 
a more reasonable basis.
 
 
In this connection, British Ambassador to Rome, 
Perth, when recently in London, had informed his Govern-
ment that Mussolini had urged Britain to hasten the 
negotiations and try to have an Anglo-Italian agreement 
a fait accompli before Hitler's May visit to Rome. 
Mussolini had given as his reason therefor that he was
concerned over evidences of Hitler's increasingly leaning 
more in the direction of the more radical Nazi element.
Moreover, at outset of current negotiations, Mussolini 
had made it clear he was not to be expected to break or 
endanger his arrangements with Germany, and stated that
during the Anglo-Italian negotiations it would be helpful 
if the British Government could prevent the British press 
from attacking Hitler and Germany, for the absence of such 
attacks would help negotiations in view of Hitler's 
Rome May visit.
 
 
According to my informants, both British and Polish
reports from Berlin indicated Hitler very cocky and that
he means (a) to do business in connection with Czechoslovakia,