740.0011 European War 1939/30395
The Acting Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Atherton) to the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
I quite agree with your suggestions concerning the tenor of our propaganda to Italy at this time and the desirability of statements by the President and the British Prime Minister. We will be glad to draft a suggested text if you consider that would be useful.1
With respect to the present communication to the Joint Chiefs we are merely requesting that one of several basic points, which was approved by the President and agreed to by the British Government and the Combined Chiefs of Staff after considerable correspondence, [Page 329] be released from a limitation which we consider unnecessary and even dangerous to our national security. Until that condition is removed and appropriate directives received from the Joint Chiefs of Staff our propaganda agencies do not feel themselves free to give the emphasis to Italian propaganda suggested in your memorandum.2 The policy, in line with the suggestions made by you, has, as I have said, been agreed upon. The present question is really an administrative one. Consequently, I hope you will agree that the attached draft to Admiral Leahy can go forward.
- Welles’ handwritten endorsement above this paragraph in the source text reads: “Please do so—SW”. For text of the message from Roosevelt and Churchill to the people of Italy, July 16, 1943, see Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. ii, p. 330; Rosenman, p. 305.↩
- Supra. ↩