Published in                        
 
           Foreign Relations of the United States           
 
                    1942 Vol. 111 Europe                    
 
                          Page 793                          
 
                                                            
 
                    DEPARTMENT OF STATE                     
 
                         WASHINGTON                         
 
                                                            
 
                      December 3. 1942                      
 
                                                            
 
                   My dear Mr. President:                   
 
                                                            
 
 
  In accordance with the request contained in your memorandum of   
December l, 1942, I enclose a draft letter to Mr. Myron Taylor for your   
signature in response to his message of November 30 in which he suggested   
that you instruct him to let His Holiness the Pope know, in confidence,   
that the United States will follow an independent course regarding the   
bombing of Rome and the civilian population outside of military and   
                     munitions centers.                     
 
                                                            
 
 
Mr. Taylor refers in his message to consultation  
on this subject between you and our Military Command. I have not felt   
myself in a position to discuss his message in any way with the War   
Department and I do not know whether you have discussed the question with   
our Military Command, I invite your particular attention to this draft   
reply which expresses my own view that it would be inadvisable for us to   
adopt an independent course from that of our principal associate in the war.  
It seems to me that if we disagree with the policy of the British Government  
in regard to the bombing in Italy, we should communicate with them and  
 endeavor to reach a meeting of minds and a common policy.  
 
                     Faithfully yours,                      
 
                       {Cordell Hull}                       
 
                        Enclosures:                         
 
                    1.  Memorandum (returned)               
 
                        2.  Draft reply.                    
 
The President,  
                          The White House.