CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM ON THE MONARCHICAL QUESTION     
 
                                                            
 
 
You have asked me to set down in writing some of the ideas we discussed   
briefly the other day.  I should make clear that these opinions are  
 personal ones and do not represent any official attitude.  
 
                                                            
 
 
As you know, the nature of my work brings me continually into contact with   
Italians from all parts and from all stations in life; therefore, my   
conclusions do reflect a fairly broad extent of what the Italian people    
thinking today; what their hopes are; and what their doubts 
 
                                                            
 
 
The Italians as a whole are bewildered and confused.  They recognize fully   
that up until about a year ago, Italy was an enemy country; and therefore,   
even a nation which was betrayed into a war it did not want, must in a   
large measure, bear the responsibility and consequences of that war.  The   
anti-fascist forces in italy would like to have seen quick action in   
eliminating all the elements responsible for what they considered to have   
been a betrayal not only of Italy's honor, but of Italy's future.  The   
opinion is scacely less unanimous among anti-fascism in betraying the   
        country and in bringing about its downfall.         
 
                                                            
 
 
That there are important minorities who still support the monarchy as an   
institution it is true-- these include:  
a) Many of the officers of the regular army.  
b) A majority of the aristocracy.  
c) Some, but nor all, of the large industrialists.  
n important portion of the Catholic Party ( Christian Democr
 
                                                            
 
 
Many of these above-mentioned elements, however, support the monarchy, not   
for affirmative reasons, but for negative ones.  For the most part, they,   
too join in an out-and out condemnation of the King, and hold him almost   
equally responsible with Fascism for the betrayal of Italy.  If they cling   
to the monarchy as an institution, they do so because of their fear of ,   
what is to them the only alternative, communism.  They claim that the   
monarchy as an institution, still has a cohesive force to maintain unity   
which would otherwise be absolutely absent from Italian political life.    
This argument would have more validity, in my opinion, if the Italian   
monarchy had more weight of historical continuity to support it, but such   
is not the case.  The spirit which brought about the liberation of Italy   
at he time of the Risprgimento, was promoted largely by men who were   
                 anything but monarchical.                  
 
                                                            
 
 
When in 1859, Italy became a free and united country, the monarchy was   
accepted as a compromise.  It was wanted by some, accepted by many, and   
tolerated by the rest.  For sixty years, Italy under a constitutional   
rchy, although poor in material resources, made notable prog