865.01/2227: Telegram
The Chargé at Algiers (Chapin) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 21—1:02 a.m.]
910. From Reinhardt. Reference Algiers 871, March 17, 6 p.m.
1. General MacFarlane saw Badoglio alone Saturday night.1 He asked Badoglio how it was that in view of their hitherto close and cordial collaboration the latter had issued his announcement regarding the exchange of diplomatic representatives with the Soviet Union without first consulting him. Badoglio replied that the Soviet approach had come to him as a complete surprise. Bogomolov had come to see him and had informed him that the Soviet Government had accepted the proposal made by Prunas to Vyshinsky at the time of a meeting of the Advisory Council in Italy. Badoglio said that Prunas had in fact informed Vyshinsky that Badoglio had once suggested to General Joyce that an exchange of diplomatic representatives between the Italian Government and the Allied Governments would be most welcome to the Italian Government. After Bogomolov’s visit Badoglio had at once told Prunas to inform the political section of the Control Commission of what had occurred. Again, after Bogomolov revisited Badoglio with the draft text of the announcement, Prunas had immediately notified the political section. In both cases, MacFarlane recalls, he immediately telegraphed the information to General Wilson. Badoglio then stated that he thought he had acted perfectly openly with MacFarlane and that as the latter had taken no action in the matter he had naturally carried through the desire of the Soviet Government. This also of course had resulted in great advantage to his, Badoglio’s, government. It had had a great effect on the Communist Party in Italy and on the parties of the Left.
[Page 1069]MacFarlane comments that in the absence of instructions he clearly could not have intervened on his own initiative as he had no information as to whether the Soviet action was unilateral or not.
2. Badoglio also told MacFarlane that he hoped to have ready for transmission within a day or two his memorandum to the Allied Governments requesting them to accord Allied status to Italy. At the end of their talk Badoglio informed MacFarlane that he was prepared now to undertake categorically that Italy would continue the war against the Axis after the Germans had been driven out of Italy and that he wished the Italian forces, especially the Italian fleet, to take part in the war against Japan. The treatment accorded to Italy in the meantime by the Allies, he stressed, would very largely determine the degree of support which he could expect from his country to such a proposal. [Reinhardt.]
- March 18.↩