Editorial Note
The issuance of the proposed Roosevelt-Churchill statement with regard to
Italy was postponed at Eden’s request. Eden’s comments on the draft
statement, transmitted to the Department of State as an annex to a
memorandum from the British Embassy at Washington dated September 22,
1944, were as follows:
- “1. I much hope the President will agree to leave out
paragraph referring to a revision of long armistice terms.
We did not include this in our original list of concessions
because (i) to do so opens the whole of our position in
relation to Italian surrender and would enable Italy to call
in question all its provisions including fleet, colonies,
etc., (ii) We could not do this without prior consultation
with Russia who is also a party to armistice terms. To omit
such consultation would cause great offence. Dominions who
have also approved armistice terms would certainly expect
consultation before any announcement was made. It should
also be remembered that long armistice terms have never been
made public and that military authorities have hitherto been
unwilling to do so. Parliament would certainly press to see
terms if their revision is announced.
- “2. As regards paragraph dealing with relief of hunger and
sickness, as we understand it UNRRA’s help will be solely in medical side,
supplies for child welfare and displaced persons. Therefore
it seems unwise to mention specifically foodstuffs and
clothing which would certainly make more difficult the task
of our representatives at UNRRA in obtaining agreement. I suggest
therefore that these words ‘foodstuffs and clothing’ should
be left out.
- “3. Paragraph dealing with trading with the enemy as at
present worded with its reference to exchange of goods would
give Italy privileged position over all our allies and
ourselves and would undermine United States-United Kingdom
supply machinery. To avoid this danger I suggest that in
this paragraph we should therefore omit last words: ‘on
basis of exchange of goods’.”
[Page 497]
Eden also suggested that the other members of the
Advisory Council for Italy be informed before the statement was issued,
and recommended a further postponement of ten to fourteen days.
(865.01/9-2244)
Following a telegraphic exchange (not printed) between Roosevelt and
Churchill, the British Embassy informed the White House on September 26,
1944, that the British War Cabinet had approved the release of the
statement, as amended, for the morning papers of the following day. The
Embassy also suggested a further amendment to bring up to date the
paragraph relating to the session of the Council of the United Nations
Relief and Rehabilitation Administration which was then meeting at
Montreal. This amendment was accepted and the statement was released to
the press in Washington late on September 26, 1944, for the morning
papers of September 27. For final text, see infra.
