Le memorie di Guglielmo Scalise e le origini della partecipazione dell'Italia e del Giappone al Patto Tripartito

The memoirs of Guglielmo Scalise and the origins of the entente between Italy and Japan leading to the Tripartite Pact Guglielmo Scalise (1883-1975) was a pioneer of Japanese Studies in Italy, especially in the literary field. Moreover, he served as a military attaché in Tokyo from October 1934 to June 1939. In his memoirs, which were published in 1972, the story is also told of his role in one of the phases of the process that ultimately led to the Tripartite Pact of 1940 between Germany, Japan and Italy. More precisely, he dealt with the negotiations on a bilateral military agreement between Italy and Japan only, which overlapped with those between the three countries. This paper discusses the difference between certain key points in Scalise’s memoirs, including his criticism of Galeazzo Ciano, and the more usual historical reconstruction.