740.00119 EW/12–2845: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:15 p.m.]
4216. De Gasperi submitted to me last night aide-mémoire in following sense:
(Begin summary) Italian Govt notes with satisfaction that date for conclusion of peace has been fixed at Moscow.37 It has, however, noted [Page 1101] with real disappointment apparent abandonment of position allotted to Italy last August at Potsdam and of stated precedence that was then established for conclusion of peace treaties.38 Such disappointment is not inspired by vain desire for priority or hostility toward Balkan nations with whom Italy intends to collaborate but from knowledge that precedence established at Potsdam corresponds to facts and to concepts of justice. Italy entered war against Germany39 when it was still long way from being won. She gave first sign of revolt against Germans, was active cobelligerent for 18 months and faced grave risks as consequence. Now it appears that what was so solemnly acquired at Potsdam has been lost at Moscow.
Italian Govt recognizes difficulties confronting Big Three in arriving at agreement on various world problems hopes that procedures and decisions adopted at Potsdam will be maintained and recalls that position of cobelligerent is peculiar to Italy and to no other of ex-enemy states.
Being ignorant of exact text of Moscow communiqué Italian Govt does not know if and in what phase it will be consulted in solution of problems affecting its future and reconfirms in friendly but serious manner necessity for Italian Govt not to be faced with authoritarian and dictated solution to Italian problems but will be permitted, according to unofficial and official promise, to expound, prior to fact, its point of view and to be in position freely to discuss solutions which will be reached regarding her. (End of summary).
Identical notes were handed to my Soviet and British colleagues yesterday.
After discussing matter briefly with officials returning from Moscow who passed through Italy, I propose to tell De Gasperi that from what I gathered from their conversation no plans were adopted at Moscow as regards peace treaty with Italy which are at variance with decisions taken at London Conference of Foreign Ministers.
I should appreciate urgently Dept’s comments and amplification of foregoing for further communication to De Gasperi.
Sent Dept repeated London 395 Moscow 172.
- Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers, December 16–26, 1945; for documentation, see vol. ii, pp. 560 ff.↩
- See Protocol of Proceedings of the Berlin Conference, section X, Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. ii, p. 1492.↩
- For text of Marshall Badoglio’s letter of October 13 to General Eisenhower informing him of Italy’s declaration of war on Germany on that date, see Department of State Bulletin, October 16, 1943, p. 253.↩