760H.65/11–646: Telegram
The Chargé in Italy (Key) to the Acting Secretary of State72
[Received November 8—2:48 p.m.]
4180. For the Secretary. My 4167, Nov. 6, 1946.73 Entire front page Unita devoted to results Togliatti Belgrade visit and to 29th anniversary Russian revolution. According to Communist newspaper Togliatti returned Rome late last night and went immediately to Unita offices where he gave following exclusive interview.
Togliatti said reason for his journey to Yugoslavia was twofold. First, to visit Tito to renew old acquaintance and to express in name of Communist and sincere Italian democrats their profound admiration for great contribution Yugoslav people under heroic and wise leadership of Tito to destruction of Hitlerism and Fascism and triumph of democracy in Europe. Two, as Secretary General of Italian Communist Party to discuss with Tito questions of interest their two countries with view to establishing in precise manner basis for collaboration between Italian and Yugoslav peoples.
In reply to query if he had been able to achieve anything new on questions in dispute between Italian and Yugoslav governments, Togliatti replied he had found in Tito and his immediate assistants full comprehension for Italian national questions and above all for struggle which Italian people must conduct in defense of their economic and political independence against those who seek to reduce them to rank of colonial people or even worse. Togliatti said he and Tito had [Page 1043] discussed all outstanding questions between Italy and Yugoslavia, particularly that of Trieste, and that Tito had declared himself disposed to agree that Trieste belonged to Italy, that is under sovereignty of Italian republic, if Italy would consent to leave Gorizia to Yugoslavia, a city which Togliatti described as predominatly Slav. He continued that Tito’s only condition (sic) was that Trieste should receive, while part of Italian republic, an autonomous statute effectively democratic which would permit people of Trieste to govern their city and their territory along democratic lines. When asked for his views on this proposal Togliatti replied that he considered it was time to stop Trieste question from being used to sow discord between Italians and Yugoslavs who must cooperate closely to liberate themselves forever from imperialistic oppression and to construct free and happy life. Since Italy has conceded autonomous administrations to Val Daosta and to South Tyrol there is no reason to deny it to Trieste. He added he expressed opinion Tito’s proposal could serve as basis final solution of controversial questions between two countries thus anything that can be done to prevent reactionary and imperialistic groups from sowing seeds of discord and war along common frontier will be done in interests of civilization and humanity.
Regarding Italians who remain under Yugoslav sovereignty Tito demonstrated to Togliatti with articles of Yugoslav constitution at hand that all national rights of these Italians will be represented and that they will be able to develop their national culture freely. Therefore, Togliatti considers that there is no reason for Italians to flee from territory which will become Yugoslav and that rumors about persecution of Italians in Yugoslavia are only lies. Another result of his visit to Tito, he said, was that the latter had consented to immediate return to Italy of Italian officers and soldiers still held as prisoners of war in Yugoslavia. Official declaration will be made and organization for their return will begin in next few days. However, to avoid red tape and attempts at sabotage on part of Italian reactionaries, Communist Party will ask National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI) to send commission to contact Yugoslav authorities in order to implement this decision.
Concerning his impressions of internal conditions in Yugoslavia Togliatti described in glowing terms new democratic state which had arisen from struggle for liberation from foreign invaders. Workers of Yugoslavia have succeeded in doing what Italians have thus far been unsuccessful in achieving. That is, they have successfully conducted fight following war of liberation in liquidating remnants of Fascism and national treason. He described as calumny reactionary Italian press which intimated that new Yugoslav democratic regime [Page 1044] was unstable, asserting that Yugoslav people support present government with all their force. Trial and sentence of Archbishop Stepinac74 had, contrary to belief of Vatican, reinforced authority of Tito’s regime regarding prospects of economic collaboration between two countries. Togliatti said that Yugoslavia was making rapid economic recovery, that Yugoslavia would have immediate and continous need of industrial products which Italian industry could furnish in exchange for raw materials such as coal, wood, et cetera. Furthermore, Yugoslavia needed qualified laborers and technicians who could likewise be furnished by Italy. Finally Yugoslavia desired at earliest possible moment to conclude broad commercial treaty with Italy.
In conclusion Togliatti expressed high satisfaction with results of his visit to Belgrade and said that Italian people are now in position to see and understand what Communists have always maintained regarding possibility of agreement with Yugoslavia of Tito. Now it is up to Italian Government to take necessary steps to achieve concrete understanding, he added.
Please repeat to Secdel, Sent Department 4180, Repeated Belgrade 163, Moscow 211.
- This telegram was transmitted by the Acting Secretary of State to the United States Delegation at the Council of Foreign Ministers in New York.↩
- Not printed; it reported that Unita, the newspaper of the Italian Communist Party, had published a Yugoslav news agency despatch which stated that Palmiro Togliatti, the Secretary General of the Italian Communist Party, was visiting Belgrade to renew official contacts for the purpose of reestablishing normal relations between Italy and Yugoslavia (760H.65/11–646).↩
- Aloysius Stepinac, Archbishop of Zagreb, convicted in Zagreb on October 11, 1946, after a 3-week trial on charges of wartime crimes against the Yugoslav people and resistance movement.↩