740.00119 EW/3–145: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Charge in the Soviet Union (Kennan)53
921. On September 13 Italian Under Secretary Foreign Affairs54 delivered to Ambassador Kirk personal note55 requesting that Italy [Page 233] be permitted to participate in armistice with Germany. Similar note was sent to British High Commissioner.56
Memorandum of British Embassy to Department, dated October 4,57 declared Italian participation in any armistice with Germany unnecessary, and suggested that hostilities between Italian Government and Germany could be ended by declarations issued by either Government at instruction of the Allied Control Commission concerned. Such declarations, British Embassy memorandum suggested, could be followed, if it were desired, by signing of an Italo-German instrument exclusively confined to recording cessation of hostilities.
In reply memorandum of Department to British dated November 1558 urged that in recognition of Italian contribution to war against Germany and of Italian cobelligerent position which had been recognized for more than year by United Nations, sympathetic consideration be given to Italian Government’s request to present its views on German surrender arrangements. Department’s memorandum suggested that although it was not deemed necessary or desirable for European Advisory Commission to invite Italian Government to submit its views for consideration, it would seem appropriate to suggest to Italian Government that it submit its views informally to representatives at Rome of Governments of United States, of United Kingdom, and of USSR who would receive them without obligation. Finally Department proposed that when Italian views had been received, they would be forwarded to United States representative on European Advisory Commission for its consideration.
In a memorandum dated April 5, 1945, British Embassy replied to Department stating that British Government, subject to certain provisos, is in position to accept suggestions put forward by Department. These provisos were: first, that Government of the USSR and French Provisional Government, as other governments represented on the European Advisory Commission, should, through diplomatic channels, be informed of the intended action before United States Government or British Government reply to Italian Government; second, that among those governments to which Government of Italy be invited to submit informally its views with regard to surrender arrangements for Germany be included the French Provisional Government.
We are replying to the British Embassy accepting the proposed conditions. You are therefore instructed to concert with your British colleague59 in informing the Government to which you are accredited [Page 234] of the intentions of the United States and British Governments as explained in the preceding paragraphs. British Embassy is being informed that you have been so instructed.
Sent to Moscow and Paris for action.60 Repeated to Rome for information (reference Rome’s 570, March 1, 3:49 [3:40] p.m.61).
- Repeated to Rome as Department’s 673 and to Paris as Department’s 1593.↩
- Marchese Giovanni Visconti-Venosta.↩
- Note A/504, September 12, Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. i, p. 64.↩
- Sir Noel Charles.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. i, p. 66.↩
- Ibid., p. 83.↩
- Frank Roberts, British Charge” in the Soviet Union.↩
- Telegram 1480, May 5, 1945, 7 p.m., from Moscow, reported that the Soviet Government had been informed of U.S.-British views on this matter (740.00119–EW/5–545). Telegram 2431, May 7, 1945, 2 p.m., from Paris, reported that the French Government had been informed of the U.S.-British views on this matter (740.00119 EW/5–745).↩
- Not printed; in it Ambassador Kirk asked whether there had been further developments regarding the Italian request for participation in the armistice with Germany (740.00119 EW/3–145).↩