865.01/2162: Airgram
The Chargé at Algiers (Chapin) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 8—3 p.m.]
A–53. From Reinhardt. During the first week of February a deputation from Marshal Badoglio called on General MacFarlane to make representations concerning the lack of control of criticism of the Italian Government as well as concerning the activities of officials of the Psychological Warfare Branch of the Allied Armed Forces in Italy. They raised the question of whether it should be permitted, so long as there is a constitutional monarchy in Italy, to give publicity to statements which bring the King and the armed forces into disrepute and undermine their prestige in the country. The deputation stressed the unfortunate effect which, in its opinion, the Bari Conference and the publicity given to it had had in particular on the officers of the Italian Navy, and stressed equally the fact that a very large proportion of the Italian population had been entirely unrepresented at Bari.
The delegation formulated the following specific requests which it considered were the conditions sine qua non for an efficient government activity:
- 1.
- The censorship which is exercised jointly by the Government and by the Allies must ensure that the head of the State and of the armed forces should not be continuously and basely insulted, and that the armed forces should not be constantly criticized and diminished in the eyes of public opinion.
- The exercise of criticism, which any free government cannot but desire, must be kept within legal forms, and must represent a useful collaboration.
- 2.
- Government supporters and the opposition should be freely allowed to publish newspapers—both partisan and non-partisan.
- 3.
- The intervention of the P.W.B.60 should be avoided in matters that concern policy, publications, choice of radio or newspaper collaborators, among both government and opposition supporters; it should be limited to the strict control of all publications and expressions of [Page 1030] public opinion, so as to keep them in harmony with the political and military conduct of the war.
The Allied Commander-in-Chief, General Wilson, after considering the foregoing representations from Marshal Badoglio, instructed General MacFarlane to reply on the following lines:
- (1)
- To say, with respect to the first point, that it is the Allied policy that there be free expression of public opinion in liberated Italy subject to the requirements of public order and security.
- (2)
- To say, with respect to the second point, that such facilities as may be available for the publication of newspapers will be distributed impartially among all sections of public opinion.
- (3)
- With respect to the third request to reply that the policy is that all Allied officers in Italy who are concerned with matters of censorship, propaganda or information will act on a basis of strict impartiality and without bias toward any section of Italian public opinion.
Chapin
- Psychological Warfare Branch of Allied Force Headquarters.↩