Office of the Historian

740.0011 EW 1939/31399½: Telegram

The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Hamilton) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, September 26, 1943—1 p.m.
[Received September 27—9:55 a.m.]

1470. Your 881, September 21, 11 a.m. There was delivered at the Embassy this morning a secret communication dated September 25, signed by Molotov, reading in translation made by an officer of the Embassy as follows:

The Soviet Government, having taken note of your letter of September 22, 1943 in which is set forth contents of the proposed message of the President to General Eisenhower concerning Italy, considers it necessary to inform the Government of the United States of America of the following:

1.
The Soviet Government considers it necessary to expedite the signature with Italy of detailed armistice terms,4 which is particularly necessary in view of the situation existing in Italy at the present time.
2.
The Allies obviously must be interested in the strict execution by Italy under the control of the Allies of the detailed terms of the armistice agreed upon and ratified by them. Therefore, the Soviet Government sees no reason for giving instructions regarding the lightening of the terms of the military armistice for Italy as is proposed in point 2 of the message, particularly since it is not clear from the contents of point 2 exactly what lightening of the terms is under consideration. It is also necessary to keep in mind that a change of the provisions ratified by the Allied Governments obviously can take place only with the agreement of these Governments.
3.
The Soviet Government considers that the establishment of an Allied Commission with the functions and powers set forth in point 4 of the message is not necessary in view of the fact that, as is well known, after the ratification of the detailed armistice terms there was established by the decision of the three Governments the Military Political Commission, as a result of which the question of a Control Commission envisaged in article 37 of the detailed terms should be considered as falling away. Therefore, in opinion of Soviet Government there should be included in the work of the Military Political Commission the coordination and direction of the activities of all military organs organized won [in?] enemy territory and of any Allied civil authorities with regard to questions of the armistice and of control over the execution of the terms of the armistice and, consequently there should be included in the functions of the Military Political Commission the issuance from time to time of instructions and directives on military, political and administrative questions for the Badoglio Government while military operational questions remain entirely under the direction of the Allied Commander-in-Chief.
The Soviet Government, therefore, sees no reason for establishment [Page 378] of an Allied Commission under the direction of General Eisenhower with above mentioned functions.
4.
The Soviet Government is opposed to [declares itself for]5 Italy fighting together with the United States of America, Great Britain and the Soviet Union against Germany.
5.
The Soviet Government agrees to the consideration expressed in point 3 of message concerning the inalienable right of the Italian people to make a decision concerning the form of government which they will eventually adopt and also agrees to points 5 and 6 of the message.

Hamilton
  1. For text of additional conditions of the armistice with Italy signed by Marshal Badoglio and General Eisenhower at Malta on September 29, 1943, see United States and Italy, 1936–1946, p. 55.↩
  2. Corrected on basis of telegram No. 1487, September 28, 1943, from the Chargé in the Soviet Union (740.0011 European War 1939/31399¾).↩