Roosevelt Papers: Telegram
The Commander in Chief, Allied Force Headquarters (Eisenhower) to the Combined Chiefs of Staff 1
urgent
W 9332. The following announcement will be made by General Eisenhower at 1830B hours2 D minus 1 day. To AGWar for Combined Chiefs of Staff signed Eisenhower. This is Naf 360. Bigot Avalanche.
“This is General Dwight D Eisenhower, Commander in Chief Allied Forces. The Italian Government has surrendered its armed forces unconditionally. As Allied Commander in Chief, I have granted a military armistice, the terms of which have been approved by the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States of[and] the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics acting in the interests of the United Nations. [Page 1268] The Italian Government has bound itself to abide by these terms without reservation. The Armistice was signed by my representative and the representative of Marshal Badoglio and becomes effective this instant. Hostilities between the armed forces of the United Nations and those of Italy terminate at once. All Italians who now act to help eject the German aggressor from Italian soil will have the assistance and support of the United Nations.”
Marshal Badoglio’s announcement of the Armistice and his message to the Italian Armed Forces and people will be issued simultaneously with the above.
- The source text is the one delivered to Roosevelt, who changed the final paragraph by hand to read: “Marshal Badoglio has undertaken simultaneously to make an announcement of the Armistice and his message to the Italian Armed Forces and people will be issued forthwith.” Cf. Eisenhower Papers, p. 1386.↩
- i.e., 6:30 p.m., Algiers time.↩