740.00119 European War 1939/2557
President Roosevelt to the Head of the Italian Government (Badoglio)
My Dear Marshal Badoglio: General Donovan has handed me your letter of January 27, which will have my most earnest attention.
I thank you for expressing in this forthright way, as a soldier and patriot, your desire to give the greatest possible effectiveness to the effort the Italian armed forces are making to drive the Germans from their country and to find every means to unite, to strengthen, and to sustain the Italian people in this task.
I appreciate the candor of your letter. You will understand if I am equally frank. I do not underestimate the difficulties under which you and your countrymen have had to work in rendering that effective assistance so necessary to an early expulsion of the enemy. At the same time I feel that events since October 1362 have made it evident that until the Government of Italy can also include the articulate political groups of anti-Fascist, liberal elements within its composition it will not be possible for any Head of Government to organize the conduct of the war on such a broad national scale as the status of an ally would require. There is, I understand, a plan for the reconstruction of the Italian Government on a broad political basis as soon as the present critical military situation will permit and not later than the liberation of Rome.
With all these considerations in mind I feel that it would be better to hold in abeyance any major changes in our present relationship.
Very sincerely yours,
- Italy declared war on Germany October 13, 1943.↩