i                               i  
                              -3-                           
 
                                                            
 
 
One of the great divisions of opinion between the British and the Americans   
has been on the subject of treatment of and attitude towards the Italians.   
The Americans have a far more kindly attitude and are willing to treat the   
Italians in a humane way that produces excellent results. It is all but   
impossible to work with them in the way that officers must if Allied   
Military Government in general is to succeed, unless some such attitude is   
maintained. On the other hand the British attitude towards the Italians is   
cold, unforgiving, and at times actually cruel. In almost every meeting at   
which policies are considered, some American will advocate a more kindly   
approach to the Italian problem. Almost invariably some British officer   
will then remark "but they bombed London". That answer is supposed to   
     silence any good words for the defeated Italians.      
 
                                                            
 
 
The Italians themselves, of course, recognize this great difference   
and are forever saying that they hope that the Americans will not leave   
Italy soon; or that they will not leave them to the mercies of the   
British; or that surely the millions of Italo-Americans in the U.S. do not   
know how the British are treating them. Not an officer in Italy but has   
            heard such statements over and over.            
 
                                                            
 
 
 American officers chafe at the complete domination of ACC by the   
British and their inability to get word to their own superiors. For an   
American officer in ACC to reach a senior American headquarters here are   
    the steps through which the communication must pass:    
 
                                                            
 
 
(1) Regional Control and Military Government Section (headed by   
Brigadier Lush); (2) the Allied Control Commission itself (headed by   
Lieut. General Macfarlane); (3) the Allied Armies of Italy (headed by   
General Sir Harold Alexander); (4) the Allied Supreme Command of the   
Mediterraneau (headed by General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson); the (5)   
Combined Chiefs of Staff. Note that four British headquarters or   
equivalent must be passed through before reaching the Combined Chiefs of   
Staff, which is itself half British. Of course, there are American staff   
icers along the way, but the official headquarters are as na
 
                                                            
 
 
  Americans in Italy are easily angered at any consideration of the   
relative accomplishments of the Fifth (American) and Eighth (British)   
armies. The Fifth Army captured Naples, Rome and Florence, as well as many   
fairly large cities in Western Italy. The Eighth Army has done   
comparatively little. The casualties on the American side have been far   
greater and American private soldiers, even, comment on this. One figure   
was that while but 4 German battalions were holding back the whole British   
Army, the enemy has put nearly 90 per cent of his strength opposite the   
American Army. And it must be admitted that the enemy knows where the   
fighting is heaviest. It is not claimed that the British soldier cannot   
fight, for he can. But he is not doing his part now in Italy, possibly   
       reasons of British high policy governing this.       
 
                                                            
 
 
 At the same time one hears that "Italy is the British zone of   
influence", or that "America will merely help to free Italy of the Germans   
and then turn it over to the British", etc. There are, it seems, no   
American directives on this that are available to American officers.   
British officers all seem to know just what is going on and what is likely   
                      to happen later.                      
 
                                                            
 
 
 Now for the present problems of ACC and the situation into which   
this unwieldy organization has fallen. To start with, some 40% of the   
whole strength is at headquarters; Probably no other military or   
pseudomilltary organization in the world has such a division of its   
personnel between headquarters and the field. Their was recently a   
organization whereby many officers took on new titles. But t