740.00119 Control (Italy)/8–447: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Dunn) to the Secretary of State
u.s. urgent
2219. For the Secretary. General Lee informs me he has telegraphed War Department on subject of proposed withdrawal of British troops from Italy along following lines:
That a statement should be issued by British announcing decision not to withdraw troops from Italy until Anglo-American commitments here are fulfilled and that US and UK immediately begin studies with a view to reduction of British forces through adjustments [Page 953] whereby US can assist greatly in maintaining supply lines and other administrative functions.
I wish to support General Lee’s recommendations. It is extremely important, in my opinion, to maintain the principle of Anglo-American responsibility for maintaining order in Venezia Giulia and preventing any disturbances by either side in connection with establishment of new Venezia Giulia boundary and setting up of Free Territory of Trieste. It would be politically a great blow to Italians and to our position in this area if we were to abandon Pola and perhaps other parts of the Morgan Line to the Yugoslavs. It seems to me that politically any reduction of our commitments in this area would be playing right into the hands of the Communists in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. In this connection, I would refer to position taken by the Combined Chiefs of Staff and the Department as to maintenance of status quo in Venezia Giulia until Yugoslavs accept the treaty.
If the British will give us a chance to discuss some readjustments which would permit them to take out of Italy certain contingents not now needed for maintaining the status quo in Venezia Giulia, I feel sure that with good will on both sides, we could arrive at an adjustment which would be of substantial help to the British in their home economic situation and we could still present picture of maintaining Anglo-American responsibility in this highly explosive area.
I might also recall that we have not yet succeeded in providing necessary equipment for rearming Italian forces to point where they could with any degree of success meet even first onslaught of forces that in Yugoslavia alone probably exceeds several hundred thousand well armed with Soviet equipment.1
- In telegram 1472, August 21, not printed, the Department informed Dunn that it had received assurances that no withdrawals of British troops from Italy would be undertaken without full consultation with the United States (740.00119 Control (Italy)/8–447).↩