Office of the Historian

Roosevelt Papers: Telegram

The President to the Presidents Naval Aide (Brown)

[Hyde Park,] September 10, 1943.

Black 1. There are two thoughts in above.1 The first is to Badoglio, the second to the Italian people. This I would make clear by adding at top page two2 the words “People of Italy”. Then it can be sent to Badoglio and also broadcast. If OK with the P.M. it can be sent at once.3

F[ranklin] D. R[oosevelt]
  1. i.e., Churchill’s draft of a joint message to Badoglio, supra.↩
  2. i.e., before the paragraph beginning, “Now is the time for every Italian to strike his blow.”↩
  3. The White House Map Room log for September 10, 1943, contains the following information about arrangements for the release of the joint Roosevelt–Churchill statement: “At 22:45 [i.e., 10:45 p.m.] rec[eive]d Black One which agreed to immediate transmission and broadcast. PM [Churchill, who was staying at the White House,] came at that time, and was shown the answer. Correction made and PM said to shoot it out. Called Steve Early & talked to him and Elmer Davis about the message. Gave it to Davis by Phone; before I finished Steve arrived (mad because he hadn’t been informed earlier) and took it and me to his office where he mimeographed off copies for the press.” The approved text was dispatched to Eisenhower at 12:20 a.m., September 11, as telegram No. Freedom 7473, with the following introductory instruction: “To Eisenhower from the President and the Prime Minister. Your Naf 395[ante, p. 1284]. The following has been released to the press here. Please convey it as soon as possible to Marshal Badoglio.” For the four changes made in Churchill’s draft before its dispatch to Eisenhower, see ante, p. 1285, fn. 3, and above, fns. 4–6. Eisenhower reported to Roosevelt and Churchill in telegram No. W 9687 of September 11 that their message had “been relayed to Badoglio via Navy channels and our special link.”↩