Nyon Conference
Encyclopedia
The Nyon Conference, held in Nyon, Switzerland
, in September 1937, addressed international piracy in the Mediterranean Sea
, especially piracy aimed at intervention in the Spanish Civil War. The United Kingdom
and France
led the conference, which was also attended by Bulgaria
, Egypt
, Greece
, Romania
, Turkey
, the Soviet Union
and Yugoslavia
.
The first agreement, signed on 14 September, dealt with plans to counterattack aggressive submarine
s. Naval patrols were established; the United Kingdom and France were to patrol most of the western Mediterranean and parts of the east, and the other signatories were to patrol their own waters. Italy
was to be allowed to join the agreement and patrol the Tyrrhenian Sea
if it wished. A second agreement followed three days later, applying similar provisions to surface ships. Italy and Germany
did not attend, although the former did take up naval patrols in November. In marked contrast to the Non-Intervention Committee
and the League of Nations
, this conference did succeed in preventing attacks by submarines.
on 15 and 18 June, Germany and Italy withdrew from the patrols. The United Kingdom and France offered to replace Germany and Italy in patrols of their sections, but the latter powers believed these patrols would be too partial. The British Admiralty believed that a significant control effort was the best solution, and four plans were put forward in response to attacks on British shipping; previous control measures had been widely evaded. These plans would be the basis for a Mediterranean meeting, suggested by French Foreign Minister Yvon Delbos
. Meanwhile, the Iride
unsuccessfully attacked the British destroyer Havock
, strengthening British Foreign Secretary
Anthony Eden
's sceptical stance towards Italy. The British representative in Rome protested to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On 5 or 6 September, the British arranged a conference for all parties with a Mediterranean coastline, along with Germany. France wanted the Soviet Union
and Republican Spain
to be invited, but the United Kingdom would grant only the former. Hence, no Spanish representative was invited. Direct intervention on the Spanish question was avoided in France, with the new prime minister, Camille Chautemps
, against such a plan. The conference was held at Nyon, Switzerland – Geneva was avoided because Italians associated it with the actions of the League of Nations
over the Abyssinian Crisis. The Soviet government formally accused the Italians of sinking two Soviet vessels, the Tuniyaev and the Blageav. This was perhaps an attempt by the Soviet Union to push Italy and Germany away from the conference. There were appeals by Italy and Germany that the piracy and other issues the conference was to discuss should be handled only by normal meetings of the Non-Intervention Committee, not a conference like Nyon. The United Kingdom and France rejected this suggestion, and continued to prepare for the conference. The British believed they could convince Italy to abandon Germany, as that was one of the aims of appeasement
in general. Italy and Germany were not present on 10 September, at the start of the conference.
. The British focused on efforts to curb submarine activity, while the French considered surface vessels and aircraft just as important. Air and surface attacks had been open, whereas submarine attacks were covert – focusing on submarines would help avoid confrontation. Groups of ships made up from different nations was unacceptable to the French, who were unhappy at the prospect of French ships under foreign command. On 8 September, plans were discussed in cabinet, including the setting up of eight groups of three destroyer
s for the western Mediterranean. Preliminary talks with the French were held on 9 September. The Conference began on the 10th. Proceedings took two forms: discussions between the British and French, and formal situations. The participation of the Soviet Navy
in the Mediterranean was disputed by the lesser nations. The United Kingdom and France would take control of Aegean patrols, rather than the Soviet Union. This was, perhaps surprisingly, accepted by the Soviet Union.
It ended on 14 September with the signing of the "Mediterranean Agreement". Signatories to the agreement were the countries of Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Greece, Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the USSR and Yugoslavia. The agreement noted attacks on neutral shipping by submarines. This was in contravention of the London Naval Treaty
(signed in 1930) and the Submarine Protocol, part of the Second London Naval Treaty
(signed in 1936).
Its clauses provided for any submarine that attacked neutral shipping to be confronted and if possible sunk. This would also be the case if the submarine was in the vicinity of a recent attack and there were suitable grounds to believe it was responsible. It was decided that French and British fleets patrol the areas of sea west of Malta and attack any suspicious submarines. The division of patrols between the United Kingdom and France would be decided by their governments. They would patrol both the high seas and territorial waters of signatory countries. The possibility of the Tyrrhenian Sea
coming under Italian patrols was agreed. In the Eastern Mediterranean, British and French ships would patrol up to the Dardanelles
, but not in the Adriatic Sea
. In this area, signatory countries would patrol their own territorial waters, and would provide any reasonable assistance to the French and British patrols. The revision of these provisions, including the way the area had been divided into zones, would be allowed. Submarine activity would be banned, subject to two exemptions: submarines on the surface, accompanied by a surface ship
; and activity in certain areas for training purposes. Each of the governments would only allow foreign submarines into each of their territorial waters in extreme situations, such as immediate distress. Merchant shipping would also be advised to stick to particular shipping route
s. The agreement also repeated the suggestion Italy join in the proposal. Delbos mentioned that similar proposals about surface craft would be prepared. The provisions of the agreement would come into force on 20 September. The British and French knew that Italian "pirate" submarine operations had already been paused, but actions to enforce the conference started at midnight on 19/20 September. The French and British camps moved to Geneva. The parties to the agreement were happy; The Times
likened them to cricket
ers, "reviewing their innings, over by over".
A second agreement was signed into force on 17 September 1937 by the same signatories. It was signed in a second meeting in Geneva, and official versions were made in French and English. It made the rules governing submarine warfare also applicable to surface vessels. Several proposals were not implemented. The British wanted the Spanish parties to be able to verify flags, thereby preventing innocent British shipping being attacked if Republican ships continued to use the British flag as a means of escape. This would have benefited the Nationalists, and the French made sure it was dropped. A suggestion to fire at any attacking aircraft was easily passed. Another, on surface ships (which incorrectly stated no attack had yet been proven) was eventually hardened on request of the French, so text stating aggressors would be attacked was added. A Soviet proposal strengthening the agreement was made. Greece and Turkey, keen not to be forced to fire on a German or Italian warship, wished ships with a clear identifying mark to be excluded; this was impractical, but an amendment was made to this effect, covering only ships in their own territorial waters.
, the Soviet representative, was pleased. Italy requested that it be included in the plans, in what it called "parity of duties". However, on the 15th, Benito Mussolini
's government sent two submarines to Francisco Franco
's National Faction
. The agreement also allowed for greater military resources to be deployed to the Mediterranean as required. Litvinov, in particular, stressed the Soviet Union's "indisputable right" to commit naval forces to the Mediterranean (something Germany and Italy had opposed in meetings of the Non-Intervention Committee). He also said he regretted that Spanish merchant shipping had been left out – on the basis this would have been intervention. Anthony Eden
noted the barbarous nature of submarine attacks, that attacks on submarines would be restricted to suitably extreme circumstances, and that the two parties in the war would still not be able to engage neutral vessels. British press was in favour, although The Times and The Guardian expressed some concerns. French public opinion was strongly in favour of the outcome of the conference. The German mood was restrained; in Spain, the Republicans – on the verge of disaster – were largely in favour, the Nationalists strongly against. The Nationalists made several complaints, none of which were accepted.
On 18 September, the Italian government was provided with the text of the agreement, and asked for some interpretation of "parity". Improved relations with Italy were desired by the British government, particularly Neville Chamberlain
. This feeling would lead to the Anglo-Italian Agreements of 1938
. An invitation was made to Italy to patrol the Tyrrhenian Sea
, but this met with defiance. Italy demanded "absolute parity" with the United Kingdom and France, meaning the same right of patrol in the Mediterranean. The Soviet Union refused to use routes patrolled by the Italians; the Turks, Greeks and Yugoslavs refused to let the Italians use their ports. A compromise was signed on the 29 September, and Italian patrols started on 10 November. The patrols were a strain on the Royal Navy
and the provisions were relaxed with French agreement, effective from January. However, submarine activity resumed and the patrol was brought up to full strength almost immediately. On the whole, submarine activity during this period did not amount to much; patrols were again relaxed in May, and the agreement suspended in August. The success of the conference was in marked contrast to the failure of the Non-Intervention Committee. However, the Nationalists and Italians switched to using air power against shipping.
Italian historians tend to downplay the importance of the Nyon Conference (often seeing it as a mere extension of the Non-Intervention Committee). British historians, however, have tended to see the Nyon Conference as an important stand against aggression, but have had reservations. Christopher Seton-Watson describes it as a "diplomatic victory", Jill Edwards points out that the Italian nonchalance means it failed to achieve a change in Italian policy. It would also provide a further division between Anthony Eden as foreign minister and Neville Chamberlain as prime minister.
Nyon
Nyon is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva's city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Geneva metropolitan area. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva, and is the seat of the district of...
, in September 1937, addressed international piracy in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, especially piracy aimed at intervention in the Spanish Civil War. The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
led the conference, which was also attended by Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
.
The first agreement, signed on 14 September, dealt with plans to counterattack aggressive submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. Naval patrols were established; the United Kingdom and France were to patrol most of the western Mediterranean and parts of the east, and the other signatories were to patrol their own waters. Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
was to be allowed to join the agreement and patrol the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
if it wished. A second agreement followed three days later, applying similar provisions to surface ships. Italy and Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
did not attend, although the former did take up naval patrols in November. In marked contrast to the Non-Intervention Committee
Non-Intervention Committee
During the Spanish Civil War, several countries followed a principle of non-intervention, which would result in the signing of the Non-Intervention Agreement in August 1936 and the setting up of the Non-Intervention Committee, which first met in September...
and the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, this conference did succeed in preventing attacks by submarines.
Context and organisation
The Non-Intervention Committee, set up in 1936, had attempted to restrict the flow of weapons to the parties of the Spanish Civil War. Under a committee plan, neutral observers were posted to Spanish ports and borders. Zones of patrol were assigned to the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. Following attacks on the German cruiser LeipzigGerman cruiser Leipzig
The German light cruiser Leipzig was the lead ship of her class . She was the fourth German warship to carry the name of the city of Leipzig.-History:...
on 15 and 18 June, Germany and Italy withdrew from the patrols. The United Kingdom and France offered to replace Germany and Italy in patrols of their sections, but the latter powers believed these patrols would be too partial. The British Admiralty believed that a significant control effort was the best solution, and four plans were put forward in response to attacks on British shipping; previous control measures had been widely evaded. These plans would be the basis for a Mediterranean meeting, suggested by French Foreign Minister Yvon Delbos
Yvon Delbos
Yvon Delbos was a French Radical-Socialist Party politician and minister.Delbos was born in Thonac, Dordogne, Aquitaine, entered a career as a journalist, and became a member of the Radical-Socialist Party...
. Meanwhile, the Iride
Italian submarine Iride
The Italian submarine Iride was a 600-Serie Perla-class submarine, serving with the Regia Marina during World War II.She was originally armed with six 21 inch torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 100 mm deck gun and room for up to four 13.2 mm machine guns...
unsuccessfully attacked the British destroyer Havock
HMS Havock (H43)
HMS Havock was an H-class destroyer built for the British Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, the ship enforced the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides as part of the Mediterranean Fleet...
, strengthening British Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
's sceptical stance towards Italy. The British representative in Rome protested to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On 5 or 6 September, the British arranged a conference for all parties with a Mediterranean coastline, along with Germany. France wanted the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Republican Spain
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
to be invited, but the United Kingdom would grant only the former. Hence, no Spanish representative was invited. Direct intervention on the Spanish question was avoided in France, with the new prime minister, Camille Chautemps
Camille Chautemps
Camille Chautemps was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council .-Career:Described as "intellectually bereft", Chautemps nevertheless entered politics and became Mayor of Tours in 1912, and a Radical deputy in 1919...
, against such a plan. The conference was held at Nyon, Switzerland – Geneva was avoided because Italians associated it with the actions of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
over the Abyssinian Crisis. The Soviet government formally accused the Italians of sinking two Soviet vessels, the Tuniyaev and the Blageav. This was perhaps an attempt by the Soviet Union to push Italy and Germany away from the conference. There were appeals by Italy and Germany that the piracy and other issues the conference was to discuss should be handled only by normal meetings of the Non-Intervention Committee, not a conference like Nyon. The United Kingdom and France rejected this suggestion, and continued to prepare for the conference. The British believed they could convince Italy to abandon Germany, as that was one of the aims of appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
in general. Italy and Germany were not present on 10 September, at the start of the conference.
Provisions
In drawing up plans for the conference, British and French naval staffs rejected the idea of a convoy systemConvoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
. The British focused on efforts to curb submarine activity, while the French considered surface vessels and aircraft just as important. Air and surface attacks had been open, whereas submarine attacks were covert – focusing on submarines would help avoid confrontation. Groups of ships made up from different nations was unacceptable to the French, who were unhappy at the prospect of French ships under foreign command. On 8 September, plans were discussed in cabinet, including the setting up of eight groups of three destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s for the western Mediterranean. Preliminary talks with the French were held on 9 September. The Conference began on the 10th. Proceedings took two forms: discussions between the British and French, and formal situations. The participation of the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
in the Mediterranean was disputed by the lesser nations. The United Kingdom and France would take control of Aegean patrols, rather than the Soviet Union. This was, perhaps surprisingly, accepted by the Soviet Union.
It ended on 14 September with the signing of the "Mediterranean Agreement". Signatories to the agreement were the countries of Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Greece, Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the USSR and Yugoslavia. The agreement noted attacks on neutral shipping by submarines. This was in contravention of the London Naval Treaty
London Naval Treaty
The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went...
(signed in 1930) and the Submarine Protocol, part of the Second London Naval Treaty
Second London Naval Treaty
The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on 9 December 1935. It resulted in the Second London Naval Treaty which was signed on 25 March 1936.- Description :...
(signed in 1936).
Its clauses provided for any submarine that attacked neutral shipping to be confronted and if possible sunk. This would also be the case if the submarine was in the vicinity of a recent attack and there were suitable grounds to believe it was responsible. It was decided that French and British fleets patrol the areas of sea west of Malta and attack any suspicious submarines. The division of patrols between the United Kingdom and France would be decided by their governments. They would patrol both the high seas and territorial waters of signatory countries. The possibility of the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
coming under Italian patrols was agreed. In the Eastern Mediterranean, British and French ships would patrol up to the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
, but not in the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
. In this area, signatory countries would patrol their own territorial waters, and would provide any reasonable assistance to the French and British patrols. The revision of these provisions, including the way the area had been divided into zones, would be allowed. Submarine activity would be banned, subject to two exemptions: submarines on the surface, accompanied by a surface ship
Surface ship
A surface ship is any type of naval ship that is confined to the surface of the sea. The term is primarily used to mean any modern vessel type that is not a submarine; although a "surface ship" may range in size from a cutter to an aircraft carrier, the weapons and tactics have some commonality,...
; and activity in certain areas for training purposes. Each of the governments would only allow foreign submarines into each of their territorial waters in extreme situations, such as immediate distress. Merchant shipping would also be advised to stick to particular shipping route
Shipping route
A shipping route is a trade route used by merchant ships.Early routes usually were coastal in nature as navigators had to rely on the coastal landmarks...
s. The agreement also repeated the suggestion Italy join in the proposal. Delbos mentioned that similar proposals about surface craft would be prepared. The provisions of the agreement would come into force on 20 September. The British and French knew that Italian "pirate" submarine operations had already been paused, but actions to enforce the conference started at midnight on 19/20 September. The French and British camps moved to Geneva. The parties to the agreement were happy; The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
likened them to cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ers, "reviewing their innings, over by over".
A second agreement was signed into force on 17 September 1937 by the same signatories. It was signed in a second meeting in Geneva, and official versions were made in French and English. It made the rules governing submarine warfare also applicable to surface vessels. Several proposals were not implemented. The British wanted the Spanish parties to be able to verify flags, thereby preventing innocent British shipping being attacked if Republican ships continued to use the British flag as a means of escape. This would have benefited the Nationalists, and the French made sure it was dropped. A suggestion to fire at any attacking aircraft was easily passed. Another, on surface ships (which incorrectly stated no attack had yet been proven) was eventually hardened on request of the French, so text stating aggressors would be attacked was added. A Soviet proposal strengthening the agreement was made. Greece and Turkey, keen not to be forced to fire on a German or Italian warship, wished ships with a clear identifying mark to be excluded; this was impractical, but an amendment was made to this effect, covering only ships in their own territorial waters.
Aftermath
Italy was very discontented at the agreement, whereas Maxim LitvinovMaxim Litvinov
Maxim Maximovich Litvinov was a Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat.- Early life and first exile :...
, the Soviet representative, was pleased. Italy requested that it be included in the plans, in what it called "parity of duties". However, on the 15th, Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's government sent two submarines to Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's National Faction
National Faction (Spanish Civil War)
The National faction also known as Nationalists or Nationals , was a major faction in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. It was composed of a variety of political groups opposed to the Second Spanish Republic, including the Falange, the CEDA, and two rival monarchist claimants: the Alfonsists...
. The agreement also allowed for greater military resources to be deployed to the Mediterranean as required. Litvinov, in particular, stressed the Soviet Union's "indisputable right" to commit naval forces to the Mediterranean (something Germany and Italy had opposed in meetings of the Non-Intervention Committee). He also said he regretted that Spanish merchant shipping had been left out – on the basis this would have been intervention. Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
noted the barbarous nature of submarine attacks, that attacks on submarines would be restricted to suitably extreme circumstances, and that the two parties in the war would still not be able to engage neutral vessels. British press was in favour, although The Times and The Guardian expressed some concerns. French public opinion was strongly in favour of the outcome of the conference. The German mood was restrained; in Spain, the Republicans – on the verge of disaster – were largely in favour, the Nationalists strongly against. The Nationalists made several complaints, none of which were accepted.
On 18 September, the Italian government was provided with the text of the agreement, and asked for some interpretation of "parity". Improved relations with Italy were desired by the British government, particularly Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
. This feeling would lead to the Anglo-Italian Agreements of 1938
Anglo-Italian Agreements of 1938
The Anglo-Italian Agreements of 1938 were a series of agreements concluded between the British and the Italian governments in Rome on April 16, 1938 in order to facilitate the cooperation of the Italian government in keeping the existing world order and to prevent its alliance with the Third Reich...
. An invitation was made to Italy to patrol the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
, but this met with defiance. Italy demanded "absolute parity" with the United Kingdom and France, meaning the same right of patrol in the Mediterranean. The Soviet Union refused to use routes patrolled by the Italians; the Turks, Greeks and Yugoslavs refused to let the Italians use their ports. A compromise was signed on the 29 September, and Italian patrols started on 10 November. The patrols were a strain on the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and the provisions were relaxed with French agreement, effective from January. However, submarine activity resumed and the patrol was brought up to full strength almost immediately. On the whole, submarine activity during this period did not amount to much; patrols were again relaxed in May, and the agreement suspended in August. The success of the conference was in marked contrast to the failure of the Non-Intervention Committee. However, the Nationalists and Italians switched to using air power against shipping.
Italian historians tend to downplay the importance of the Nyon Conference (often seeing it as a mere extension of the Non-Intervention Committee). British historians, however, have tended to see the Nyon Conference as an important stand against aggression, but have had reservations. Christopher Seton-Watson describes it as a "diplomatic victory", Jill Edwards points out that the Italian nonchalance means it failed to achieve a change in Italian policy. It would also provide a further division between Anthony Eden as foreign minister and Neville Chamberlain as prime minister.