Roosevelt Papers

The Chief of Staff, United States Army ( Marshall ) to the President 1

secret

Memorandum for the President

1.
Following the receipt of information from the State Department2 that the Italians intended to declare Rome an open city, the War Department sent to General Eisenhower in Algiers the following radio:

“The Italian Government through the Vatican has requested the U.S. Government to prescribe the essential conditions to recognizing Rome as an open city. This is for your information only. Pending further instructions it would appear desirable to refrain from air [Page 529] activities against the city of Rome proper. I am taking this up with the CCS but meanwhile pass this view informally on to you. You certainly should continue to strike at such airfields in the vicinity of Rome as give evidence of being used by either the Germans or Italians.”

2.
A few minutes after this message was dispatched, the following message was received from General Eisenhower’s headquarters:

“Stand by flash release Rome raid approximately 1300 hours 3rd August same targets same reasons.”

3.
As a result of this message, the following was then transmitted to General Eisenhower, and receipt of this and the first message has been acknowledged by his headquarters:

“About thirty minutes ago I advised you that the Vatican through our State Department informed us that the new Italian Government was prepared to declare Rome an open city and wished to know the essential requirements. In that message I passed on to you my view informally to the effect that pending further instructions it would appear desirable to refrain from air activities against the city of Rome proper.

“A few moments ago message number 1735 your headquarters arrived, ‘From Martelli. Stand by flash release. Rome raid approximately 1300 hours third of August same targets same reasons’, message to be passed to OWI

4.
At approximately 5:30 Eastern War Time, following concurrence with the British Chiefs of Staff, the following additional message was sent to General Eisenhower:

“The Italian Government through the Vatican has requested the U.S. Government [to prescribe3] the essential conditions the Allies will impose before recognizing Rome as an open city. Pending further instructions the Combined Chiefs of Staff desire that you refrain from air activities against the city of Rome proper. You should continue to strike at such airfields in the vicinity of Rome as give evidence of being used by either the Germans or the Italians. Please acknowledge,”4

G C Marshall

Chief of Staff
  1. Delivered to the White House Map Room at Washington; forwarded to Roosevelt, who was then at Birch Island, as telegram No. White 22.
  2. Cicognani’s letter to Welles of August 2, 1943, supra, had been communicated to Marshall, first by telephone and then in writing, shortly after its receipt (740.0011 European War 1939/31287).
  3. These two words were not in Marshall’s memorandum, but were inserted when the memorandum was telegraphed to Roosevelt.
  4. A typed notation on the J.C.S. file copy of telegram No. White 22 indicates that the Secretary of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Deane) telephoned the following additional paragraph to the White House Map Room for inclusion in Marshall’s message to Roosevelt:

    “Since dispatching the above the Prime Minister called me by phone and stated the British Cabinet and he personally thinks it may be a good thing at this moment to go ahead with the bombing. Accordingly and pending your instruction to the contrary, I have taken the responsibility of authorizing Eisenhower to go ahead if he desires to do so. Signed Marshall.”

    For Marshall’s message to Eisenhower, see infra.