701.0065/7–1144

The British Embassy to the Department of State

Memorandum

The views of His Majesty’s Government on the treatment to be accorded to Axis diplomats accredited to the Holy See who might be apprehended by the Allied Military forces in Rome, were communicated to the State Department in an Aide-Mémoire No. 266 dated the 12th [17th] May. These views were briefly that any Axis diplomat apprehended outside the Vatican City should be given as a matter of grace rather than of right, the choice of entering the Vatican City or of returning to his own country under safe conduct; His Majesty’s Government did not feel that they were bound by Article 12 of the Lateran Treaty concluded between the Holy See and the Italian Government, which provided that diplomats accredited to the Holy See were to be allowed to maintain their residence in Rome even if other countries were at war with Italy; at the same time His Majesty’s Government saw no reason why diplomatic representatives already residing in the Vatican, least of all Allied representatives, should move out to make way for Axis diplomats. The United States Government were asked whether they agreed that this attitude towards Axis diplomats should be adopted as a joint policy and were prepared to make a joint démarche so informing the Vatican authorities.

No written reply was received to the above-mentioned Aide-Mémoire, but a member of the British Embassy was given to understand orally that, while the United States Government were disinclined to make a joint démarche since they had not been approached by the Vatican authorities in this matter, they were in substantial agreement as to the treatment to be accorded to Axis diplomats as outlined above.86

[Page 1325]

The matter was thereupon put to the Combined Chiefs of Staff with a view to appropriate instructions being sent to the Allied Commander-in-Chief in Italy, and on the 21st June a telegram was sent to General Wilson, under reference Fan 368, which read:

“United States Government and His Majesty’s Government have agreed that any Axis diplomat accredited to the Holy See apprehended outside the Vatican City should be given, as a matter of grace rather than of right, the choice of entering the Vatican City or returning to his own country under safe conduct.”

After the Allied capture of Rome there were delays in putting the agreed policy into effect, but on June 30th at the joint suggestion of the United States and British representatives at Algiers, Allied Forces Headquarters sent instructions to the Allied Military authorities in Rome that all enemy diplomats accredited to the Holy See who were not already inside the Vatican, should as soon as conveniently possible be removed to a safe place away from Rome until arrangements could be made for their ultimate repatriation, the assumption being that if they were not already inside, they either did not want to go in or could not be accommodated.87 On July 4th, Mr. Tittmann and Sir D. Osborne jointly informed the Vatican authorities that steps in the above sense would be taken on mid-day, July 10th.

Up to this point Anglo-American policy as regards the treatment to be accorded Axis diplomats accredited to the Vatican had been jointly concerted and carried out. The United States Government had not at any time undertaken that their representative to the Holy See would refuse to leave the Vatican City in order to make room for Axis diplomats, but the undesirability of Allied diplomats moving in order that Axis diplomats should be accommodated was clearly indicated in the Embassy’s Aide-Mémoire of the 12th May.

It is now understood that, on instructions from Mr. Myron Taylor and Mr. Stimson,88 Mr. Tittmann has suspended cooperation with Sir D. Osborne in negotiations with the Vatican on the question of Axis diplomats.89

  1. See footnote 71, p. 1320.
  2. See telegram 2221, July 1, 1 p.m., from Algiers, p. 1321.
  3. Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of War, arrived in Rome on July 4 for a tour of inspection.
  4. Marginal comment initialed by Mr. Gowen of the Division of Southern European Affairs is as follows: “Ackn’d verbally by Secretary Hull on understanding that we would call for report by teleg & communicate with Embassy on its receipt. FCG. Please see our attached teleg 326 of July 7 for Mr. Taylor.” Mr. Taylor was notified of the contents of telegram 2313 (p. 1322) and telegram 326 (p. 1323) in a letter dated July 8 from Mr. Kirk.