Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E-15, Part 2, Documents on Western Europe, 1973–1976, Second, Revised Edition

377. Memorandum From A. Denis Clift of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft)¹

Washington, September 11, 1976.

SUBJECT

• Meeting with Ambassador Sensi

By way of brief review, in your meeting with President Leone’s Diplomatic Adviser Ambassador Sensi on Friday, September 10, 1976, he made the following points:

—President Leone is deeply appreciative of:

1) the constructive role played by Washington at the time of Lockheed bribery charges against Leone,

2) the firm counsel by the President, via Ambassador Volpe against Communist participation in the Italian Government. Sensi added that Leone is firm against Communist participation.

—The Christian Democratic Party wants to revitalize, and to take advantage of the June elections to strengthen its position, recognizing at present, that the monocolore DC government is dependent on the PCI for its survival. The Christian Democrats are getting fresh strength and inspiration in the Party from technocrats, i.e., leaders of Italian business and industry who feel the need to get involved because of the Communist threat, and from young ideologically motivated Italians who oppose Communism. While stressing the need for discretion, Sensi asked if it would be possible to establish a process of close consultations between Rome and the White House/State Department aimed at assisting the DC in its efforts to strengthen and broaden its base, to take advantage of voter disaffection with the smaller parties and to increase its effectiveness against the PCI. You said we would be pleased to consult. Sensi confirmed at the end of the meeting that he was pleased with your reaction and that we should expect the Italians to take the next step.

—Sensi then turned to Italy’s economic difficulties. He noted Yeo’s mission with satisfaction. He said that Italy wasn’t looking for gifts. He thought we could work closer together to help Italy expand its industry. He noted that this might take the form of working through the multinationals to steer business to Italy from countries where the Italian presence might be seen as more desirable than the U.S.—e.g., Egypt, Saudi Arabia and countries in Latin America.

—Finally, Sensi noted the firm grip that the PCI has on Italy’s mass media, radio and television in particular. He said it was extremely difficult at present for the DC and the government to get its message across, and to counter the current anti-US, pro-Communist flavor of Italian press coverage. He said that prominent men in the Italian publishing industry want to correct this problem but that they need financial assistance and expert media advice. He said that this wasn’t an issue to be addressed at the government-to-government level, rather it should be handled by the private sector. He added that he was encouraged by the reactions he had received from various Americans during his current visit.

COMMENT: As I listened to Sensi, I recalled the President’s early August meeting with Italian Americans during which they stated that they wanted to get more involved in helping Italy to right its current problems and to counter the current anti-American tone in the Italian media. We now have Jeno Paulucci’s mission to Italy, which includes discussions with Italian business leaders, and the President’s meeting of September 16 with Italian-Americans to receive Paulucci’s report. This meeting provides the President with the opportunity to speak positively about expanding ties at the private sector level—in business and media—and he could address this in somewhat greater detail with Paulucci privately. Further, the views offered by Sensi require careful community attention, and I recommend that his three principal issues be the subject of discussion at a meeting of the Operations Advisory Group (OAG)—with a view to studying how the U.S. can be of most effective assistance at the governmental and private sector levels.

I recommend that you discuss your meeting with Sensi with the President prior to his September 16 meeting with the Italian-Americans. I also recommend that you schedule an OAG agenda item to review the points raised by Sensi.

1. Summary: Clift reviewed Scowcroft’s September 10 meeting with Sensi.

   Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for Europe and Canada, Box 8, Italy (7). Secret; Sensitive. Outside System. Sent for information. In a September 9 memorandum to Scowcroft, Yeo reported on his September 3 to 4 discussions with Italian economic officials. (Ibid., Box 8, Italy (8))