Borromeo Palace

Between 11 and 14 April, 1935, the "Conference of Stresa" took place at the Lago Maggiore in Northern Italy. The French Prime Minister Flandin, the British Prime Minister MacDonald and the Italian Duce Mussolini wanted to establish a common policy about the German violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

The diplomatic meetings took place in the music room of the Boromean Palace, on the Isle of Isola Bella. The participants and their delegations stayed overnight in the Grand Hôtel des Iles Boromées in Stresa.

France wanted to have a resolution approved in which it was stated that a next violation would be punished with sanctions. Mussolini thought this to be the minimal action one could take and wanted more definitive agreements in order to guarantee the independence of Austria. MacDonald acts as a defense on behalf of the viewpoint of Hitler because he did not intend to hinder Germany. This seems the world upside down: the British as the advocate of the Nazis and Mussolini as the accuser.

Finally a vague commitment had been agreed to no longer accept any further violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

A few months later the coalition of Stresa falls apart as Great Britain signs a fleet agreement with Germany on June 18th, 1935, without informing their allies of Stresa. The agreement allows Germany to build up a fleet which would have no more than 35% of the capacity of the British fleet and an equal number of submarines. This agreement was in flat contradiction with the Treaty of Versailles and in fact an encouragement of the rearmament of Germany.

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