865.01/2288
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of
State
[Washington,] April 13,
1944.
The Soviet Ambassador called at his request and handed me a
memorandum (copy attached) regarding the action of his Government in
exchanging diplomatic representatives with the Badoglio regime. I
thanked him and remarked that this presented a relatively and
entirely small question and that in my opinion the handling of this
matter publicly has resulted in one hundred times more harm than
good to Russia, both in connection with the international movement
of collaboration and cooperation and public opinion in the United
States. I expressed the earnest hope that in the future Russia would
undertake to talk such matters out, as each of the three great
nations should do, rather than go into the press with premature and
unilateral decisions.
[Annex]
The Embassy of the Soviet
Union to the Department of
State
Memorandum
In connection with the memorandum of the United States
Government,27 transmitted
on April 3, 1944 by Secretary of State Hull to Soviet Ambassador
to Washington, Andrei A. Gromyko, the Soviet Government
considers it necessary to state the following:
- 1)
- The Soviet Government notes with satisfaction the
agreement of the Government of the United States with
the [apparent omission]
[Page 1096]
stated in the memorandum of the
Soviet Government of March 19, considerations that the
Consultative Council on Italian questions is not an
official instrument of the Allied governments for
contact with the Italian Government.
- 2)
- The Government of the United States, recognizing as
correct the assertion that the relations of the Control
Commission with the Italian Government are determined by
articles 37 and 42 of the terms of armistice, is
asserting also that the broad scope of functions and
powers of this Commission is provided by various
directives of the Combined Chiefs of Staff and the
Allied Commander in Chief what gives reason to consider
that the functions and powers of the Control Commission
were broadened by these directives as compared to how
this is provided by the above-mentioned articles of
terms of armistice. The Soviet Government considers it
necessary to draw the attention of the Government of the
United States to the fact that any change of the scope
of functions and powers of the Allied Control Commission
as compared to how these functions and powers are
provided by the stated terms of armistice, cannot be
made without preliminary agreement between the three
governments on whose behalf those terms are signed.
Another situation, undoubtedly, would represent a
violation of the principle of uniformity of policy on
Italian questions set as basis of the establishment of
the Control Commission,—the principle, the importance of
observance of which is pointed out in the memorandum of
the Government of the United States of April 3 [1?].
- 3)
- In the memorandum of April 3, is being denied the
assertion that the Soviet Government as compared to the
Governments of the United States and Great Britain was
in an inequal position in regard to Italy. The Soviet
Government finds such a denial unfounded. The Soviet
Government considers it absolutely indisputable that
since the governments of the United States and Great
Britain have realized and are realizing their
connections with the Italian Government through their
numerous institutions and their numerous
representatives, while the Soviet Government did not
have direct contact with the Italian Government, it
cannot be asserted that the Soviet Government was in an
equal position with the American and British Governments
in regard to Italy.
- 4)
- In accordance with the wishes of the American
Government the Soviet Government has already given
instructions to its representative to the Consultative
Council to discuss with the Council the question on the
political situation in Italy so that this question could
afterwards be considered and solved by the three
governments.
[Washington,] April 13,
1944.
