Office of the Historian

865.48/3–847

The Italian Ambassador (Tarchiani) to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (Clayton)

No. 2173
Washington, March 8, 1947.

My Dear Mr. Clayton: I understand that, in connection with the pending authorization bill for $350,000,000 for relief purposes in 1947,1 the State Department has prepared its own tentative estimates of the extent of the relief needs of various countries.

I have also learned the results of the work of Post-UNRRA relief needs published by the United Nations Special Technical Committee on January 24, 1947.

In this study, the Special Technical Committee estimated Italy’s relief needs in 1947 as of the order of $106,900,000. In our opinion, this estimate is far below Italy’s actual relief needs in 1947, even if those needs are computed on the basis of the principles employed by the Special Technical Committee.

I have felt that it might prove useful to the Department especially in connection with the discussions pending in Congress on the Post-UNRRA relief, to be acquainted with the study that this Embassy has made on the U.N. Committee Report. I am therefore enclosing a memorandum on Italy’s relief needs2 prepared on the identical principles employed by the Special Technical Committee, with adjustments based on factual information which has become available since the Committee prepared its study. Such memorandum shows a substantial difference from the conclusions reached by the U.N. Committee.

I hope that it will be possible for your staff to give it attention and I thank you in advance for your kind interest in the matter.

Sincerely yours,

Alberto Tarchiani

  1. On February 21 President Truman addressed a “Special Message to the Congress Requesting Appropriations for Aid to Liberated Countries,” stating: “I recommend that the Congress authorize the appropriation of not to exceed $350 million to assist in completing the great task of bringing relief from the ravages of the War to the people of the liberated countries.” He further recommended “that this relief assistance be given directly rather than through an international organization, and that our contribution be administered under United States control.” Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Harry S. Truman, 1947 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1963), p. 149.

    By Public Law 84 (Post UNRRA Relief) approved May 31, 1947, the 80th Congress, 1st Session, authorized the appropriation to the President of “not to exceed $350 million for the provision of relief assistance.” (61 Stat. 125)

    The actual appropriation of funds to enable the President to carry out the purposes of Public Law 84 ($332 million) was not made until the approval by the Congress on July 30 of Public Law 271 (61 Stat. 610).

    See also First Report to Congress on The United States Foreign Relief Program (For the period ended September 30, 1947), Department of State publication 2985 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947), p. 1.

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  2. Not printed. It estimated Italy’s dollar relief needs in 1947 at approximately $457,098,000.↩