COPY  
                                                            
 
                   Copy for Admiral Leahy                   
 
                                                            
 
 
                  AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE                  
 
                                                            
 
 
              Vatican City, November 24, 1943.              
 
                                                            
 
 
                        Dear Myron:                         
 
                                                            
 
 
You will undoubtedly have read the telegrams I have been sending regarding the desire of the Vatican to prevent Home from becoming a battle-field. I understand that the Apostolic Delegate in Washington has also been instructed to bring the point of view of the Holy See on this matter to   
           the attention of the State Department.           
 
                                                            
 
 
I gather from my conversation with the Cardinal Secretary of State that the Vatican regards the idea of an "open city" as a military question only, and is not interested in any way in the various projects of a political nature that have been advanced recently in the German-controlled   
 eyes of the  Holy See, therefore,"open city" would appear t
 
                                                            
 
 
1.  Provision to avoid combats from taking place in Rome, either through agreement between the belligerent parties or through Allied strategy. This would mean in practice the withdrawal of the Germans from Rome before the arrival of the Allies.  
                                                            
 
2. Provision by the Allies of police protection for the city during the interval between the withdrawal of the Germans and the arrival of the Allies.  
                                                            
 
 Allies of food supplies for the population during this inte
 
                                                            
 
 
tined to suffer it will be the fault of the Germans only and
 
                                                            
 
 
                      Sincerely yours,                      
 
                                                            
 
 
                      HAROLD TITTMANN                       
 
                                                            
 
 
The Honorable  
                                                            
 
Myron C. Taylor  
                                                            
 
Department of State,  
                                                            
 
                        Washington.