740.0011 European War 1939/28231
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of
State (Welles)
[Washington,] December 4, 1942.
The British Ambassador1
called to see me this morning at his request.
The Ambassador handed me a telegram, attached herewith, giving the views
of the British Government with regard to the type of propaganda which
should be undertaken by the United States and Great Britain in Italy. I
told the Ambassador that I would be very glad to consider these
suggestions.
[Annex]
Text of Telegram Received From Foreign Office
on November 30th, 1942
I am strongly of opinion that best method of facilitating an internal
collapse in Italy is by stressing hopelessness of Italy’s position
militarily and determination of United Nations to pursue the war
with utmost vigour against Italy. In my view there is nothing to be
gained at this stage by making any direct or indirect appeal to both
sentiment or history or holding out any inducements to Italian
people or armed forces to overthrow Fascist regime and abandon
Germans. A policy of appeals and promises could only be really
effective when there was a question of building up some dissident
movement or leader which could challenge established government. At
present there is no such leader or movement in Italy nor are there
any potential leaders outside Italy of sufficient calibre. If and
when there is any sign of a real anti-Fascist or anti-German
movement developing in Italy, the question of making useful
declarations as to our future Italian policy would of course have to
be reconsidered.
[Page 315]
The line we are adopting in our political warfare is accordingly as
follows: the Italian people should be told constantly and with every
weapon open to propaganda that Mussolini and Fascist party have
chosen to link Italy’s future with Nazism, that they have thus
committed themselves to the same fate as Hitler, and that we are
determined and assuredly shall defeat and punish Nazis and everyone
associated with them. We appreciate that Italian people were forced
into this struggle by Fascist régime. But if now Italian people
decide to continue along Fascist road they will undoubtedly suffer
all the woes and penalties which fall to the vanquished Fascist
leaders. If they do not, they themselves will know what they have to
do. It was Italian Government and not His Majesty’s Government which
took step breaking a friendship between two peoples which had never
been broken before. This struggle was therefore none of our seeking.
But once gauntlet has been thrown down it is our habit to continue
until our opponent is beaten, and in this case our opponent is and
always will be Fascist Government and régime.
I much hope United States Government will agree that policy indicated
above is appropriate in present circumstances and will issue
instructions to their propaganda organisations accordingly.
