- 3 -
 
me to know privately that he had gained a very clear tin-
 
pression that Hitler had no such delusion with regard
 
to the German-Soviet Alliance as had Ribbentrop. He told
 
me that he had gained-the positive belief that. Hitler was
 
using the Russian arrangement to his own interest, with
 
the expectation that the time would come when he (Hitler)
 
could turn against Russia, and secure back from Russia
 
the positions Germany had given away in the Baltic States
 
and through the cession of Finnish territory to the Soviets.
 
     He said that no peace proposals had been made by Ger-
 
many, and that Germany had not requested Mussolini to present 
 
any suggestions for peace proposals to the Allied
 
governments.
 
     He said, however, very emphatically that he believed
 
that the time might come in the not distant future when
 
Hitler would be receptive to the consideration of a nego-
 
tiated peace, and he assured me that he would in such 
 
event get in touch immediately with the Government of the
 
United States through Ambassador Phillips in order that 
 
we might know what his own feeling at such time might be. 
 
He stated that if such an opportunity arose he believed
 
that the initiative should be taken by the President of
 
 
the United States, using Italy as its "point of support" 
 
in Europe. He said that for that reason he trusted that 
 
we would continue the very friendly and frank relationship 
 
which had been created as a result of my visit to Rome, 
 
since he believed that a closer friendly understanding
 
between Italy and the United States was not only to the
 
advantage of Europe in the event that any opportunity for 
 
peace arose. I told Ciano that I warmly reciprocated the 
 
opinions he had expressed, and that I felt sure that he
 
                                        would