865.6131/9–1647
The Italian Ambassador (Tarchiani) to the Acting Secretary of State
The Italian Ambassador presents his compliments to the Honorable the Acting Secretary of State and has the honor to refer to his previous note No. 7885 of September 3rd, 1947.
In such note the Italian Ambassador deemed it necessary to draw the utmost attention to the Honorable the Secretary of State on the very serious consequences which the present insufficient grain allocation for Italy would have entailed.
Since the presentation of the note above mentioned, the Italian Ambassador has been again urged by his Government to point out to the competent American Authorities that, should the allocations in question be not increased, no stocks would practically be available to Italy at the end of the year or a further drastic cut in the rations would now be needed.
A table is attached to the present note with the aim of giving an illustration of the extremely dangerous situation confronting the Italian Government.1
As specified in its footnotes, such table is to be considered as an exploratory approach to the situation as it would develop for Italy in the months up to next January, if no prompt and adequate provisions [Page 973] were taken to increase wheat shipments in the immediate future.
The depletion of stocks before next year will also mean that Italian food administration will be soon faced with the impossibility of maintaining an orderly bread distribution.
On the other hand it cannot be easily conceived how in the present moment in which the Italian Government is faced with riots and widespread strikes, it would be possible for them to announce and enforce a reduction in the bread rations.2