Editor’s Note
—No official minutes of this conversation have been found, but Wilson reported upon it later in the day to the Combined [Page 112] Chiefs of Staff (see post, page 115). Stimson’s diary entry for July 19 contains the following summary:
“After lunch at two o’clock Field Marshal Alexander and Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson came in. The main subject of their call was the appointment of Colonel James H. Douglas to be the American member of the Italian Control Commission. There had been delay and some complications about it and Alexander reported that there had been news reports which had been embarrassing to the present incumbent, Admiral Stone. He thereupon proposed a solution by suggesting that Douglas come out on a visit of inspection preparatory to assuming the duties of the office, and invited him to stay with him. Then he would take office later in September. This was agreed to and the telegrams were drawn up and sent.1 I talked over with Alexander his campaigns in Italy and complimented him on their success which seemed to please him. It is the first time I had met him personally, he having been absent when I visited both Africa and Italy. We talked over the episodes of Tito and de Gaulle in their incursions into Italy.”
- See document No. 1113, post.↩