Nyon Conference facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nyon Conference |
|
|---|---|
An "informal picture" published in The Times of members of the British delegation. Anthony Eden sits to the right, accompanied by Lord Chatfield and Sir Robert Vansittart.
|
|
| Date | 10 September 1937– 14 September 1937 |
| Cities | Nyon, Switzerland |
| Participants | |
The Nyon Conference was an important meeting held in Nyon, Switzerland, in September 1937. Its main goal was to stop secret attacks on ships in the Mediterranean Sea during the Spanish Civil War.
These attacks were happening because Italy was secretly using its submarines to attack ships, even though it wasn't officially at war. The conference called these attacks "piracy" by an unknown group, without directly blaming Italy. The meeting aimed to make sure countries didn't get involved in the Spanish Civil War. The United Kingdom and France led the conference. Other countries like Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Romania, Turkey, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia also took part.
The first agreement was signed on September 14, 1937. It planned to fight back against submarines that attacked ships. Naval patrols were set up. The United Kingdom and France would patrol most of the western Mediterranean. Other countries would patrol their own waters. Italy was allowed to join and patrol the Tyrrhenian Sea if it wanted. A second agreement was made three days later, covering attacks by surface ships. Italy and Germany did not attend the conference at first. However, Italy did start naval patrols in November. Unlike other efforts, this conference successfully helped stop submarine attacks.
Contents
Why the Conference Happened
The Non-Intervention Committee was a group of 24 countries. It was set up in 1936 in London. Its goal was to stop weapons from reaching either side in the Spanish Civil War. For the United Kingdom, this was part of a plan to avoid a bigger war. They wanted to prevent a "proxy war" where Italy and Germany supported one side, and the Soviet Union supported the other.
In May 1937, Neville Chamberlain became the new British Prime Minister. He wanted to deal directly with Germany and Italy. The British hoped they could convince Italy to stop working with Germany.
Under the Non-Intervention Committee's plan, neutral observers watched Spanish ports and borders. The plan also gave patrol zones to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy. These patrols started in April. However, after attacks on the German ship Leipzig in June, Germany and Italy stopped their patrols.
The British navy suggested sending many ships to the Mediterranean. This was to stop attacks on British ships, which were often being secretly carried out by Italy. Italy was officially at peace, but its leaders had ordered submarines to attack ships without warning. These attacks were called "piracy." The French Foreign Minister, Yvon Delbos, suggested a meeting in the Mediterranean to deal with this.
On September 5 or 6, the British arranged a conference. It was for all countries with a Mediterranean coastline, plus Germany. The meeting was held in Nyon, Switzerland. Geneva was avoided because Italy didn't like it due to past issues with the League of Nations. The United Kingdom agreed to invite the Soviet Union. However, they stopped France from inviting a representative from Republican Spain.
The Soviet Union accepted the invitation. They said they would use the meeting to blame Italy for sinking two Soviet merchant ships. Germany refused to come, saying the issues should be handled by the Non-Intervention Committee. The United Kingdom and France disagreed and continued to plan the conference. Soon after, Italy also refused to attend.
What the Agreements Said
British and French navy experts first thought about using a convoy system. This is where warships protect groups of merchant ships. But they decided against it. The British wanted to stop submarine attacks. The French thought surface ships and aircraft were just as important.
The conference officially started on September 10. Talks happened between the British and French, and then in formal meetings with all countries. Many nations didn't want the Soviet Navy to patrol the Mediterranean. So, the United Kingdom and France agreed to handle patrols in the Aegean Sea. The Soviet Union surprisingly accepted this.
The conference ended on September 14. The "Mediterranean Agreement" was signed by Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Greece, Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the USSR, and Yugoslavia. The agreement noted that submarines were attacking neutral ships. This went against international rules like the London Naval Treaty (1930) and the Submarine Protocol (1936).
The agreement stated that any submarine attacking a neutral ship should be sunk if possible. French and British fleets would patrol the seas west of Malta. They would attack any suspicious submarines. The United Kingdom would provide a bit more than half of the 60 destroyers needed. France would provide the rest and most of the aircraft. Italy could join patrols in the Tyrrhenian Sea if it wanted.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, British and French ships would patrol up to the Dardanelles. But they would not patrol the Adriatic Sea. In this area, other countries would patrol their own waters. They would also help the French and British patrols. Submarine activity was mostly banned. The only exceptions were for training or if they traveled on the surface with another ship. Merchant ships were also advised to use specific shipping routes.
A second agreement was signed on September 17, 1937. It extended the rules for submarine warfare to surface ships. It had the same countries as signatories. The British and French knew that Italy had already paused its secret submarine operations. But actions to enforce the agreement started on September 19/20.
What Happened Next
On September 13, Italy was invited to join the agreement. Italy refused, saying it wanted "absolute equality" with the United Kingdom and France. This meant Italy wanted the same right to patrol the Mediterranean. Italy later said it would join if this equality was given.
Meanwhile, on September 15, Benito Mussolini's government sent two submarines to Francisco Franco's side in Spain. The Soviet Union refused to use routes patrolled by Italians. Turkey, Greece, and Yugoslavia also refused to let Italians use their ports. A compromise was reached on September 30. Italian patrols started on November 10. The British government, especially Neville Chamberlain, wanted better relations with Italy. This led to the Anglo-Italian Agreements of 1938.
The patrols were hard on the Royal Navy. So, the rules were relaxed in January. But submarine activity soon returned. Full patrols started again in early February. Overall, there wasn't much submarine activity during this time. Patrols were relaxed again in May, and the agreement was stopped in August. The Nyon Conference was a success, unlike the Non-Intervention Committee. The Spanish Nationalists and Italians then started using air power against ships instead.
In the United Kingdom, Anthony Eden called the submarine attacks "savage." He noted that attacks on submarines would only happen in extreme cases. He also wanted to avoid an "Anglo-Franco-Soviet bloc" (a strong alliance between Britain, France, and the Soviet Union). The British newspapers liked the agreement.
Maxim Litvinov, the Soviet representative, was happy with the result. He stressed that the Soviet Union had a clear right to send naval forces to the Mediterranean. He also wished that Spanish merchant ships had been protected. Other nations thought this would be too much like getting involved in the civil war.
French people strongly supported the conference's outcome. In Germany, the mood was calm. The German press was happy that the Soviet Union was not part of the patrols. In Spain, the Republicans were mostly in favor, and the Nationalists were strongly against it. The agreement was welcomed by other members of the League of Nations.
Images for kids
-
An "informal picture" published in The Times of members of the British delegation. Anthony Eden sits to the right, accompanied by Lord Chatfield and Sir Robert Vansittart.
-
Map of the Mediterranean, showing some of the areas mentioned at the conference.
-
Neville Chamberlain in September 1938
See also
In Spanish: Conferencia de Nyon para niños
