740.00119 Control (Italy)/7–844: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Naples (Brandt)
335. For Kirk. Reports have reached us from various sources that the Swiss, on behalf of the Italian Government, are approaching the Governments of the other American republics with a view to recognition of, or the reestablishment of normal relations with the new Italian [Page 1179] Government.56 Specifically, the Governments of Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, have been so approached.
It should be understood by the Italian Government that the Allied Control Commission is the appropriate channel for communication with United Nations and those associated with them in the conduct of the war. You or the appropriate authorities of the Allied Control Commission should impress upon the Italian Government at the earliest opportunity the necessity of taking up questions of this nature, in the first instance, with the Control Commission.57 Sent to Naples, repeated to Algiers and Bern.58
[With specific reference to the appointment of a Polish representative to the Allied Authorities in Italy, the Supreme Allied Commander (Wilson) reported in Naf 717, July 13, 1944 (not printed), that the Political Commission of the Allied Control Commission discussed the problem of representation on July 13th. General Wilson further reported:
“It was agreed that any problem of diplomatic representation in Rome of countries which are neither (a) neutral, nor (b) members of the Advisory Council for Italy should be treated as a whole and a line of policy agreed.
If they are allowed to come, they should not be formally accredited to the Allied Control Commission although they should be allowed to discuss matters of interest to themselves with the chief commissioner and the political section. They could have informal relations with the Italian Government but so long as the Allied Control Commission operates under the armistice conditions, they would be informed that they should raise questions with the Italian Government through the machinery of the control commission. …”]
- A circular telegram of July 8, 1944, midnight, informed American Diplomatic Officers in the American Republics of the Swiss démarches. ↩
- A circular telegram of July 21, 1944, 6 p.m., informed the American Diplomatic Officers in the American Republics that the Allied Control Commission had received assurances from the Italian Foreign Office that the Swiss Government acted without the knowledge of the Italian Prime Minister or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (740.00119 Control (Italy)/7–1744).↩
- Repeated as telegrams 2149, July 8, and 2372, July 11, respectively.↩