| | The term was a reference to a 1936 speech by Mussolini, celebrating a treaty with Germany, in which he said: | | The term was a reference to a 1936 speech by Mussolini, celebrating a treaty with Germany, in which he said: |
| − | :This Rome-Berlin protocol is an axis around which all European states, animated by a desire for peace, may collaborate.<ref>''Cortesi, Arnaldo (1936), "Mussolini Urges Paris and London to Enter Accord," ''The New York Times,'' November 2, 1936, p. 1</ref> | + | :This Rome-Berlin protocol is an axis around which all European states, animated by a desire for peace, may collaborate.<ref>Cortesi, Arnaldo (1936), "Mussolini Urges Paris and London to Enter Accord," ''The New York Times,'' November 2, 1936, p. 1</ref> |
| | Subsequently newspapers began to use the phrase "Rome-Berlin axis," and later "Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis," or "Axis" for short. | | Subsequently newspapers began to use the phrase "Rome-Berlin axis," and later "Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis," or "Axis" for short. |