The British Prime Minister ( Churchill ) to President Roosevelt 28

344. Personal. Your No. 302.29

Your War Cabinet had contemplated a joint declaration to the Italian people in the name of both our countries. Whereas Torch 30 was by agreement planned as an American expedition with a British contingent and I have acted as your Lieutenant throughout, we consider [Page 330] Husky and post-Husky as joint undertakings in which we are equal partners. This would certainly seem justified by the proportion of troops, Naval forces, shipping and aircraft involved. I fully accepted your dictum that “There should be no senior partner”.

However since we have been longer in quarrel or war with Italy than you, and also since a document of this character written by one man in its integrity is better than a joint production, we are ready that you should speak at this juncture to the Italian people on behalf of both our countries and in the interests of the common cause.

There are a few amendments which I venture to suggest to you in all the frankness of our friendship. They are of importance because without them untoward reactions might grow among the British people and their forces that their contribution had not received equal or sufficient recognition. In fact they are only mentioned once, and all else is either United States or United Nations.

The amendments are as follow:

(a).
After the words “Against whom on December 11, 1941, your government declared war” insert “I speak also on behalf of His Brittannic Majesty’s Government and in their name”.
(b).
After the words “Under the command of General Eisenhower” insert “And his Deputy General Alexander”.
(c).
The end of the sentence “The skies over Italy are dominated by the vast air armadas of the United Nations” should read “Of the United States and Great Britain. Italy’s sea coasts are threatened by the greatest accumulation of the British and Allied sea power ever concentrated in the Mediterranean.” (I am sure you will see the justice of this, as after all it is the United States and Great Britain who are doing virtually the whole thing.)

Finally we think that the message to the Italian people would seem to come better after an initial success in Husky has been achieved, because a repulse would make it somewhat inappropriate. It would anyhow be lost to the world in the cannonade and will hardly get through to the Axis fighting troops in time to influence the crunch.

Your No. 30331 about bombing the Marshalling Yards in Rome. We concur.

  1. Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.
  2. Not printed.
  3. Code name for planned U.S. expedition to Northwest Africa.
  4. Not found in Department files.