740.00116 E.W./10–344
The Department of State to the British Embassy
Memorandum
The Department has received the British Embassy’s aide-mémoire of October 3, 1944 (Ref. 152/154/44) concerning the question of extending the terms of reference of the United Nations Commission for the Investigation of War Crimes to include German war crimes against Italians, as proposed in the British Embassy’s note no. 153 of March [Page 1386] 15, 1944 and agreed to by the Department of State’s note of June 3, 1944. The suggestion is noted that the agency acting for the Italian Government in this matter might be the Allied Commission in Italy. The suggestion is also noted that the whole matter might in the first instance be laid before the Advisory Council for Italy for discussion, thereby giving the Greek, Yugoslav, and French authorities and the Soviet Government an opportunity to express their views on the proposal.
The Department agrees that the matter should be laid before the Advisory Council. It is informed that the question has in fact been placed on the agenda of the meeting of the Advisory Council to be held on October 20.
This Department and the War and Navy Departments likewise concur in the suggestion that the Allied Commission in Italy should act for the Italian Government in the matter of the German war crimes against Italians and that evidence thereof should be communicated to the War Crimes Commission through the Supreme Chiefs of Staff by the Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean, as suggested in the Embassy’s aide-mémoire.
Mr. Kirk, the United States representative on the Advisory Council, is being instructed to this effect so that he may act in concert with Sir Noel Charles, his British colleague.15
- Telegram 292, October 16, 1944, 10 p.m., not printed.↩