740.00119 EW 1939/10–1245: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 12—10:22 a.m.]
3062. Parri’s weekly press conference is prominently featured in all morning papers as appealing for a change in armistice status for Italy. According to Giornale del Mattino Parri expressed satisfaction with Byrnes and Bevins declarations concerning Trieste76 which indicates that internationalization will be limited to the port area and leave the city under Italian administration contrary to insistent declarations made by official Yugoslav sources that whole city will be internationalized. Referring to Byrnes declaration that new Italian democratic constitution must have international guarantees that Italy will maintain certain fundamental liberties Parri stated that he would quite willingly accept such guarantees if these were to be applied to all European States in general interest of peace. Otherwise such guarantees if limited only to Italy and a few other nations would restrict her national sovereignty and place Italy in a permanent position of inferiority with respect to other nations.
Parri also expressed disapproval of Byrnes’ assertion relative to disarmament that the Great Powers had accepted the US point of view that Italy should entrust her defense to United Nations. Such a condition commented Parri can be imposed upon us but “if it is not justified it will not be accepted by Italian public opinion”. However, Italy is willing to adopt disarmament if it is a general policy of all nations. He also raised question whether it is prudent in the present European situation to have one-sided disarmament. He made a brief reference to demands for reparations on part of several nations declaring that the sums asked for are not as yet official but reminder that Italy is in no position to make payments.
He warmly endorsed Byrnes’ statement there were no reasons why armistice conditions should not be published and went on to affirm [Page 1063] that Govt needs a peace that will give nation “an international juridical status”. In present conditions wherein peace terms will have to be studied by a commission of experts which will refer to the deputies who in turn will refer to Foreign Ministers who in their turn will have to refer to conference means that Italy will not have a definite status until this spring. He renews the request that international juridical position of Italy be defined so as to permit Italy possibility of resuming international commercial trade. “It should not be difficult substituting present armistice conditions and we need urgently an economic ruling which would give us security in matter of relief so increasingly necessary to us”.
He expressed Italy’s full gratitude to Allied Nations and to America in particular for generous help given to Italy without which the nation cannot rebuild herself. He passed in review the figures of this year’s disastrous harvest and asserted that it is indispensable that help come from the outside in order to prevent runaway inflation.
Returning to the question of armistice terms he passed in review the limitations on Italian sovereignty imposed by terms. He stated that Italian Goyt can not move troops, demobilize or arm the police without Allied consent. Aviation is strictly controlled and even gliders are prohibited. “Even Italy” asserts Parri “has a future in active resumption of civil aviation and I would like to see our youth begin to exercise itself again in this field”. The armistice conditions he concluded limit the Govt’s activities also in field of sanctions against Collaborationists and Fascists, which limitations have repercussions even in preparation for elections.
- For text of declaration to the House of Commons on October 9 by Ernest Bevin, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, see Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 5th series, vol. 414, col. 36. For text of Secretary Byrnes’ Report on First Session of the London Council of Foreign Ministers, see Department of State Bulletin, October 7, 1945, p. 507.↩