740.0011 European War 1939/30172: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Harrison) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:19 p.m.]
4186. Repeating Tittmann’s 117, July 12.
1. The radio on the evening of July 10 carried a summary of what is described as a message from the President to the Pope. The message has been received with much enthusiasm by all United Nations sympathizers here who praise especially its timeliness.
For the moment, however, Vatican appears to be somewhat puzzled and uncomfortable. I am not entirely certain but I suspect that when I saw Monsignor Montini29 this morning Vatican had not yet received officially the full text of the message although the Apostolic Delegate in Washington appears to have telegraphed the gist thereof. Monsignor Montini told me that the Vatican welcomed the President’s reaffirmation of our policy of freedom of worship as well as his assurances regarding churches, the Vatican City and the Papal Domains but he seemed to have some hesitation as to the correctness of the procedure in making public a message to the Pope from a chief of state without prior consultation with Holy See. He said that he preferred to withhold further comment until he had been able to study the official text in full and had spoken with the Cardinal Secretary of State who had been absent for weekend and would not be returning until this evening.
2. Monsignor Montini said that the Pope had sent a communication presumably about the bombing of Rome to the President some 2 months ago through the Apostolic Delegate in Washington. The latter had reported that he had received the President’s reply which [Page 929] had been consigned to the State Department on June 17 for transmission to Lisbon by our courier for delivery to the nunciature there. The Holy See had not yet received the reply and so far there was no indication that it had even arrived in Lisbon. Monsignor Montini wondered whether the reply might not perhaps be able to throw some light on the message.
3. It would be helpful if in the future I could receive promptly the text of important public pronouncements having to do with the Holy See by telegram in clear direct to the Vatican City. [Tittmann.]
- Giovanni Battista Montini, Papal Under Secretary of State.↩