226. Editorial Note
Pope Pius XII died at Castel Gandolfo, Italy, on October 9. At a meeting held at the White House the same day, Secretary of State Dulles agreed to lead the official U.S. Delegation to the Pope’s funeral. In addition to the Secretary, the delegation included Clare Booth Luce, former Ambassador to Italy, and John McCone, Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. (Memorandum for the record by Murphy, October 9; Department of State, Central Files, 765A.11/10–958) The Secretary’s party left Washington on the evening of October 17, arriving in Rome the following morning. After attending a funeral mass at St. Peter’s Basilica that morning, the Secretary met separately with Prime Minister Fanfani and President Gronchi and later with French Foreign Minister Couve de Murville and German Foreign Minister Heinrich von Brentano.
Dulles’ discussions with Fanfani dealt with French proposals for NATO, the political and military situation in the Middle East and China, and European Communism. Dulles’ talks with Gronchi also dealt with efforts to combat Communist propaganda. Documentation on the Italian portion of the Secretary’s trip is ibid., Conference Files: Lot 63 D 123, CF 1132, and Central Files, 110.11–DU/10–1758. Secretary Dulles and the other members of the U.S. Delegation attended funeral ceremonies for the late Pope on Sunday, October 19. In the afternoon, they met with leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. The Secretary then flew on to London and to Taipei for additional meetings.