Office of the Historian

Lot 54–D 328

Memorandum by the Appointed Ambassador to Italy (Dunn) to the Secretary of State

[Washington,] January 6, 1947.

I am told that the Italians should make formal application to the Maritime Commission for the purchase of an additional 50 Liberty [Page 842] ships.1 As soon as the application is in, Mr. Clayton can talk with Admiral Smith and let him know of our support for the Italian application.2

You may wish to tell De Gasperi the foregoing when you see him tonight.

James Clement Dunn
  1. For the purchase by Italy of 50 Liberty ships in 1946, see the bracketed note, October 31, 1946, Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. v, p. 941.↩
  2. A letter sent by Vice Admiral W. W. Smith, Chairman of the U.S. Maritime Commission, to Under Secretary Clayton on January 21, not printed, refers to Clayton’s meeting with the Commission on Friday, January 10; to his urging “that the sale of additional vessels to the Italian Government at this time was of prime importance”; and to the action of the Commission on January 14 approving the sale to Italy of 50 additional ships. (195.2/1–2147)↩