865.01/1079
The Head of the Italian Government ( Badoglio ) to President Roosevelt
My Dear President: General Donovan38 has promised to represent to you my ideas on the present situation. I am very grateful to him [Page 1012] for this and will be grateful to you if you will give my ideas your kind consideration.
I only wish to confirm to you my dear President, that I, as an old soldier have only one aim in my actions, and only one guiding thought in mind: to help with all our forces the Allies to drive the Germans out of Italy. Any other question can be of only secondary importance.
But in order to be able to inspire and galvanize the country, I must receive assistance from you, because if I am always and only considered as the representative of a country that has been conquered and has asked for armistice, I cannot have the prestige to be able to give my people forceful leadership in the war of liberation. An act of generosity on your part would increase my strength in the greatest measure and enable me to furnish the contribution that the Allies are expecting from us.
My dear President, if Italy who is now fighting the same common enemy could be declared an ally, you would have the eternal gratitude of the Italians living in Italy and in the United States.
You will forgive me if I have approached the question in such a frank way, but I am a soldier and not a diplomat.
With the expression of my highest consideration I am Sincerely yours,
- William J. Donovan, Director of the Office of Strategic Services.↩