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

740.0011 European War 1939/31291

The Apostolic Delegate (Cicognani) to the Under Secretary of State (Welles)¹

No. 492/42

Washington, August 16, 1943.

My Dear Mr. Welles, Immediately upon receipt of your esteemed communication of August 8th,² informing me of the reply of the United States Government to the request for information on the conditions for declaring Rome an open city, I advised the Cardinal Secretary of State of the contents of your message.

His Eminence now advises me of notification from the Italian Government, as of Saturday evening, August 14th, that Rome has been officially declared an open city, and that the government authorities are taking the necessary measures, conformably to the provisions of international law, to make this declaration effective.

The Holy See would be grateful if further discussion of the conditions to be imposed by the Allies were expedited as promptly as possible.

In the meantime, it has every confidence that the Eternal City will not be subjected to further bombardment.

Assuring you [etc.]

A. G. Cicognani

Archbishop of Laodicea
Apostolic Delegate

1. The contents of this note were telephoned to General Hull’s office in the War Department at 5 p.m., August 16, 1943, and the text was sent to the White House Map Room, which forwarded it to Roosevelt at Quebec in telegram No. White 96 on August 17.
2. Ante, p. 572.