Mr. Myron C. Taylor, Personal Representative of President Roosevelt to Pope Pius XII, to the President2
The following is a memorandum for the President and the Secretary which I have received from the Apostolic Delegate:3
“The Apostolic Delegate has recently received a communication from His Eminence Cardinal Maglione, Secretary of State, Vatican City, relative to the immunity of the city of Rome from aerial bombardment. As already stated in the memorandum of December 15th,4 the Government of Italy, on December 13th, gave oral but, nevertheless, official assurance to the Holy See that the Supreme Command and the General Staff of the Armed Forces together with the Premier were about to leave Rome.
“Now, Cardinal Maglione communicates the information that on December 20th, at the request of the Holy See, the Italian Government gave an. official statement in writing to the effect that the Premier with the rest of the Supreme Command was moving away from Rome. The statement also declares that, besides the Supreme Command, Dependent Offices of the Italian Army and Navy and the Military Headquarters of the German Army and Navy there are actually being transferred from Rome. The Secretary of State notes that he has already informed the Chargé des Affaires of the United States5 about the written statement.
“The Archbishop of London,5a as well as the Apostolic Delegate in England,6 have spoken to the Prime Minister of England7 about the question of possible bombardment of Rome, giving the reasons why it should be avoided.
“His Eminence adds that from conversations he had with the Minister of England to the Holy See8 he got the impression that the [Page 911] British Government was of the opinion that the Holy See was not acting to avoid the bombardment of Rome entirely of her own volition but that the Italian Government was behind all the activity done for this purpose. To correct this opinion the Cardinal spoke to the Minister of England to the Holy See, and likewise notified the Apostolic Delegate in England, telling them substantially the following: “The movement to avert the bombardment of Rome was started exclusively and totally by the Holy See. The Holy See has stated again and again that, should Rome be bombed, she would be compelled to protest because Rome is a Holy City, the Diocese of the Supreme Pontiff and the Center of the Catholic World. The Holy See is certain that the reasons she offers for non-bombardment are valid and of great moment. Spontaneously, therefore, she called to the attention of the Italian Government the fact that the English Government has frequently indicated that the city of Rome is a military objective. As a consequence of this the Italian Government, first orally on December 13th, then in writing on December 20th, assured the Holy See that the Military Commands were leaving the city. In fact, their departure is under way.’
The Secretary of State requests that all these matters be treated with the utmost secrecy.”
- Copy obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y. Mr. Taylor was in the United States at this time.↩
- Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Apostolic Delegate at Washington.↩
- Memorandum from the Papal Cardinal Secretary of State to the Apostolic Delegate, not printed. Paraphrased copies were transmitted through Mr. Taylor to the President and to the Department.↩
- Harold H. Tittmann, Assistant to Mr. Taylor.↩
- Presumably reference is to Arthur Cardinal Hinsley, Archbishop of Westminster.↩
- Msgr. William Godfrey.↩
- Winston S. Churchill.↩
- Francis D. G. Osborne.↩