Draft of a statement by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill
This was not sent. It was one of many drafts. F D R
[Undated]
The Italian people, freed of their Fascist and Nazi overlordship, have in these last twelve months demonstrated their will to be free, to fight on the side of the democracies, and to take a place among the United Nations devoted to principles of peace and justice.
We believe we should give encouragement to those Italians who are standing for a political rebirth in Italy, and are completing the destruction of the evil Fascist system. We wish to afford the Italians a greater opportunity to aid in the defeat of our enemies.
Italy has made real progress these last twelve months. [and other essential supplies.] We believe the United States and Great Britain should give her [Italy] greater political recognition, and we propose to invite the Italian government to send its own direct representatives to Washington and London, and on our part we will give our representatives at Rome the status of ambassadors.
First and immediate considerations in Italy are the relief of hunger and sickness and fear. To this end we have instructed our representatives at the pending conference of UNRRA to declare for the sending of food and clothing and medical aids to Italy.
Along with this is the need for first steps to be taken [At the same time, first steps should be taken] toward the reconstruction of an Italian economy – an economy wrecked [laid low] under the years of the misrule of Mussolini, and ravished by the German policy of vengeful destruction.
These steps should be taken primarily as military aims to put the full resources of Italy and the Italian people into the struggle to defeat Germany and Japan. We should assist the Italians in the restoration of their power systems, their railways, motor transport, roads and other communications, and send our engineers, technicians and industrial experts into Italy to speed the work of rehabilitation.
The Italian prisoners of war should be given opportunity to volunteer their full efforts in the fight against the enemy, to carry the flag of Italy into battle against Germany and Japan.
We should all look toward that day [We all wish to speed the day] when the last vestiges of Fascism in Italy will have been wiped out, when the last German will have left Italian soil, and when there will be no need of any Allied troops to remain – the day when free elections can be held throughout Italy. [and when Italy can begin to take her own high place in the great family of democratic nations.]