865.01/9–1744
Memorandum by the British Embassy to the Department of State
Mr. Eden has received a telegram from Count Sforza, the gist of which is that unless the Armistice Regime is terminated and normal relations with His Majesty’s Government are restored, the Communists may threaten to upset the present Italian Government with disastrous results not only for Italy but for Europe. He asks for confidential and personal exchanges of views.
Mr. Eden has already instructed Sir Noel Charles on a previous occasion to intimate to Count Sforza that he is not prepared to receive communications from him direct. Accordingly no reply will be sent to his present telegram.
Since Count Sforza states, however, that he has telegraphed on behalf of Signor Bonomi to President Roosevelt apparently on similar lines,98 Mr. Eden desires to inform the United States Government of his views and to ask them to agree that no reply should be sent to Count Sforza by either side. If President Roosevelt chose to regard the telegram which has apparently been addressed to him as coming from Signor Bonomi and felt obliged to reply direct to the latter, Mr. Eden would of course see no objection.