Evening star., 1940-03-20
We||es Sails Home;
Duce Told Him
Aims, Says Gayda
American Fuct-Finder
Denies Receiving
Peace Proposals
BIZ the Associated Press.

GENOA, Italy, March 20.-Sumner
Welles. fact-finder for President
Roosevelt, sailed for the United
States today on the Conte di Savoia.
Mr.. Welles' train from Rome ar
rived at $50 am. After four hours
at hotel, where he joined Mrs.
Welles, the American Undersecretary
of State went aboard ship
He was accompanied by the sec
retary of Foreign Minister Count
Galeazzo Ciano, who presented him
to a delegation of Genoese officials
assembled to bid him farewell
Mr.. Welles thus wound up mis-
sion which took him to Rome, Berlin,
Paris and London and then back to
Rome, for conferences with the
heads of state in each country.
He left America February II,
arriving in Italy February Is.
Informed of Italy's Position.
AS Mr.. Welles sailed today the
authoritative Editor Virginio Gayda,
writing in II Giornale dItalia, as
serted that Premier MuSsolini had
Informed Mr.. Welles only of Italys
position and aims in the war. He
further said that II Duce had moth
ing further to add to this after his
Brenner Pass meeting Monday with
Fuehrer Hitler.
The fact that Mussolini did not
have another talk with Mr.. Welles
after returning from the Brenner
was indicative" of this, wrote
Gayda. He added that for the pur-
poses of Mr. Welles' informative
tour, the two long talks he had with
Mussolini February 81 and March
Is were sufficient.
In an atmosphere of great cordi-
ality and frank sincerity Gayda
said, were presented the positions,
opinions and tendencies of Italy in
connection with its vital interests
as well as their connection with
general European problems"
Peace Activity Denied.
Mr.. Welles last night finished his
swift circuit of war-lashed Europe
with the firm declaration that he
has neither received nor conveyed
any peace plan whatsoever during
his 24-day tour; yet he was believed
to be in possession of an inside ac-
count of what happened in Mondays
meeting of dictators in the Brenner
Pass.
Mr.. Welles, breaking the silence
which he has maintained through
out the tour which brought him
twice to Rome and took him to Ber-
lin, Paris and London, said his task
had been solely to gather informa-
ton for the President and the
Secretary of State as to present con-
ditions in Europe"
Text of Statement.
His statement to the press, issued
shortly before he left Rome, said:
In order to allay the flood of ru-
m ns about my mission, I wish to
state categorically that I have not
received any peace plan or proposals
from any belligerent or from any
other government; that I am not
conveyed any such proposals to any
belllgerent, nor to any other gov
ernment; nor am I bringing back to
the President any such proposal"
Mr.. Welles' final finding con-
versation was with Ciano, who is be-
lieved to have given Mr.. Welles in
forms ton about Mondays "parlor
car" meeting between Premier Mus
soilni and Fuehrer Hitler at Bren-
nero.
Mr.. Welles declined to disclose
how much Count Ciano had told
him at a luncheon arranged by
American Ambassador William
Phillips shortly before Mussolini
left for Brennero. However, he told
correspondents he had talked briefly
with Count Ciano before the lunch
con and considerably, afterward."