Office of the Historian

Roosevelt Papers: Telegram

The British Acting Consul General at Tangier (Watkinson) to the British Foreign Secretary (Eden)1

most secret
Tangier, August 6, 1943.

Signor Berio, Counsellor of Embassy at present employed in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived today from Rome, which he left yesterday. He states that he was instructed by Marshal Badoglio on the advice of his son, Mario Badoglio, Italian Consul-General at Tangier, to establish contact with Mr. Gascoigne2 in Tangier in order to discuss possible negotiations with the present Italian Government.

2.
A similar emissary, the Marquis Lanza d’Ajeta, former Chef de Cabinet of Ciano, has gone to Lisbon with a similar mission to British or American representative.3
3.
I was informed during the course of the evening that a member of the Italian Consulate-General wished to see me urgently and I agreed with him to meet the Italian Vice-Consul and to accompany him to the house of the Italian Chargé d’Affaires where I met Signor Berio.
4.
Berio states that he has been sent on a special mission by Marshal Badoglio, as negotiations through our mission at the Vatican are impracticable. As a cover for this he is to assume charge temporarily of Italian Consulate-General here.
5.
He is instructed to request me to inform you that Marshal Badoglio is ready to treat with His Majesty’s Government but is quite unable to do so openly at present, being entirely under the control of the Germans. In a few days he will have a conference with Hitler or other German representative and, under compulsion, will issue a further proclamation that the war will continue and that alliance [Page 567] with Germany cannot be broken. These are, of course, not his real sentiments or those of the Italian Government or people, but it is necessary to gain time.
6.
It is most urgently necessary to help Badoglio to stay in power and to assist him to maintain internal order. Should Badoglio fall, the Germans will seize Rome—armoured divisions are in waiting for this purpose—and will form a military government under a Quisling.
7.
The way to assist the present Italian Government is:—
(a)
To refrain from bombardments which will cause panic among the population. Badoglio is powerless to maintain order if the people become demoralised and no other government would be capable of resisting the German occupation which would seriously delay the advance of the Allies. Italy has no military force at present which could resist the German advance as all forces are employed to maintain public order.
(b)
To create an immediate diversion by a landing in the south of France or the Balkans.
(c)
To continue propaganda against Badoglio in radio and the press in order to lull German suspicions.
8.
Signor Berio states that he is ready and authorised to negotiate with any British representative here or with a representative of General Eisenhower. He does not at present propose to establish contact with American Legation here.
9.
He hopes that a reply may be received at the earliest possible moment for communication to Marshal Badoglio.
10.
According to Signor Berio, most Italian troops have been recalled from France and none from Albania or Greece.
11.
Signor Berio gives as personal references Sir P. Loraine and Mr. James Morgan.4
  1. The text of this message was made available to the Department of State by the British Embassy at Washington, was delivered to the White House Map Room by the Department during the evening of August 6, 1943, and was forwarded by the Map Room to Roosevelt, who was then at Birch Island, Ontario, by telegram during the night of August 6–7.↩
  2. Alvary Douglas Frederick Gascoigne, the British Consul General, was absent from Tangier.↩
  3. See ante, p. 554.↩
  4. For Berio’s account of his mission to Tangier, see Alberto Berio, Missione segreta (Tangeri: Agosto 1943) (Milan: Enrico Dall’Oglio, 1947).↩