Foreign Relations of the United States, Conferences at Washington and Quebec, 1943

740.00119 EW/8–843

The British Ambassador (Halifax) to the Secretary of State ¹

most secret

Washington, August 8th, 1943.

Dear Mr. Hull, I send you herewith a copy of a telegram received from Mr. Eden on August 7th about approaches received from certain Italian sources.

I should be very grateful if you would pass on the contents to the President.

Yours very sincerely,

Halifax

[Enclosure—Telegram]

The British Foreign Secretary (Eden) to the British Ambassador in the United States (Halifax)

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Sir A. Cadogan has informed the Soviet Chargé d’Affaires² of the Italian [approach through?³] d’Ajeta at Lisbon⁴ and also of subsequent approach at Tangier⁵ and Barcelona.⁶

2. Sir A. Cadogan pointed out that the first and second approaches were evidently parallel but that there was this difference in that the approach made in Tangier professed to be an official request for some kind of negotiation. He explained that this was of course out of the question though he did not know whether His Majesty’s Government would decide that this approach was serious enough for them to use as a channel for demanding unconditional surrender and presenting surrender terms. As regards the third approach in Barcelona, Sir A. Cadogan pointed out that this could be ignored entirely as it emanated from parties who so far as we know exercise little if any influence in Italy.

3. I have also instructed Sir A. Clark Kerr to inform the Soviet Government.

4. Please inform the President of the foregoing.

1. The source text bears the following manuscript endorsement: “August 8. Copy of enclosure delivered to the White House for forwarding to the President. Eu—Bonbright.”
2. Arkady Alexandrovich Sobolev.
3. The two words in brackets appear in the typed source text, with a query, as a possible correction for a garble in the message as received.
4. See ante, p. 554.
5. See ante, p. 566.
6. See ante, p. 563.