740.0011 European War 1939/31513: Telegram
The Consul General at Algiers (Wiley) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 12—12:23 p.m.]
1744. From Murphy. Coincident with the Italian declaration of war October 13 at 15 hours Greenwich time Badoglio is issuing the following statement:
“Italians! With declaration made September 8, 1943 the Government of the King headed by me in announcing that the Commander [Page 387] in Chief of the Anglo-American forces in the Mediterranean had accepted the armistice requested by us ordered the Italian troops to remain in readiness with their arms prepared to repel any act of violence directed at them from whatever other source it might come.
With a synchronized action which clearly revealed order previously given by some high authority German troops compelled some of our units to disarm while in most cases they proceeded to a decisive attack (against our troops).
But German arrogance and ferocity did not stop here.
We had already seen some examples of their behavior in the abuses of power, robbery and violence of all kinds perpetrated in Catania while they were still our Allies.
Even more savage incidents against our unarmed populations took place at Calabria in the Puglia and in region of Salerno.
But the ferocity of the enemy surpassed every limit of the human imagination at Naples.
The heroic population of that city which for weeks experienced every form of torment, strongly cooperated with the Anglo-American troops in putting the hated Germans to flight.
Italians! There will not be peace in Italy as long as a single German remains upon our soil.
Shoulder to shoulder we must march forward with our friends of the United States and Great Britain and Russia and of all the other United Nations.
Wherever Italian troops may be in the Balkans, Yugoslavia, Albania and in Greece they have witnessed similar acts of aggression and cruelty and they must fight against the Germans to the last man.
The Government headed by me will be completed shortly. In order that it may constitute a true expression of democratic government in Italy the representations of every political party will be asked to participate. Italians! I inform you that His Majesty the King has given me the task of announcing today, October 13, the declaration of war against Germany.
Signed Badoglio”.
He is also being required to insert a sentence to the effect that when peace is restored nothing will impair the completely free right of the Italian people to select their own form of democratic government. [Murphy.]