Office of the Historian

740–0011 European War 1939/34399: Telegram

The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Bucknell) to the Secretary of State

London, May 29, 1944.
[Received May 29—11:15 a.m.]

4313. The following is the text of an Anglo-American statement regarding the preservation of Rome which has been suggested by the Foreign Office.49

“The Allied military authorities, confronted by a ruthless enemy in Italy, are interested solely in the destruction and elimination of the German forces in that country. They have taken, and will continue to take, every possible precaution during the course of their campaign to spare innocent civilians and the cultural and religious monuments of permanent value to civilization. In particular, they are deeply conscious of the unique position occupied by Rome as one of the chief historical, religious, and cultural centers of the world, and of the fact that Rome is the seat of His Holiness the Pope and contains the neutral state of the Vatican City. It is, therefore, the firm intention of the Allied Governments and the Allied military authorities to continue to take every precaution in their power consistent with essential military requirements to safeguard the population of Rome and its historical and religious monuments. The Allies have only taken, and will only take, military action against Rome in so far as the Germans use the city, its railways and its roads, for their military purposes. If the Germans choose to defend Rome, the Allies will be obliged to take appropriate military measures to eject them. It is, therefore, the sincere hope of His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government that the enemy will not make this ill-considered choice. When the Allied armies themselves occupy Rome they will be in a position effectively to defend it from any attack which the Germans may be able to mount by land or from the air.”

Bucknell
  1. The joint Anglo-American statement issued on June 3 through the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, was substantially the same as this except that it omitted the last sentence of this suggested text.↩