701.9466A/16
Mr. Harold H. Tittmann, Assistant to the President’s Personal Representative to Pope Pius XII, to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a despatch dated March 2, 1942,29 which my British Colleague30 sent to his Government. The reaction of the latter (of which, I believe, the Department is aware) to the report that the Holy See had agreed to the [Page 783] appointment of a Japanese Representative here has prompted Mr. Osborne to explain briefly some of the difficulties with which the Vatican is faced in endeavoring to maintain “a precarious equilibrium outside of and above the war.” In this I believe Mr. Osborne has succeeded admirably.
The impression seems to have prevailed in London that this was another instance in which the Holy See yielded to pressure from the Axis powers. Mr. Osborne states in his despatch that he is satisfied that the Axis powers had nothing to do with the Japanese initiative. It is clear to me that, in any event, the German Embassy to the Holy See must have been uniformed with regard thereto. (See my telegram No. 35 of March 5th.)31 Such evidence as there is, therefore, points to Japan’s having played a lone hand.
It is difficult to see how the Holy See could have refused the Japanese request. By virtue of its acknowledged universality and its mission of peace and good will toward all alike, the door cannot very well be closed to any particular State seeking to establish diplomatic relations with it. Although the Cardinal Secretary of State did not say so in so many Words, I gathered the impression during my informal conversations with him that the establishment of a Soviet diplomatic mission to the Holy See would not be unwelcome here at this time. Perhaps it is felt that with the addition of Japan the weight of Axis representation would tip the scales too far in one direction and that in the interests of the Holy See itself an Allied counterbalance would be desirable. I remember also that Monsignor Montini, one of the Under Secretaries of State, told me recently that he personally thought that Soviet representation might be acceptable, especially if Stalin could thereby be persuaded to adopt a more moderate attitude toward religion.
The difficulty, I suppose, would be to interest the Soviet Government in such a proposition. My British Colleague suggests China instead as a more practicable possibility and an obvious answer to the Japanese initiative, although, of course, not nearly so effective at the present time.
Very respectfully yours,