On arrival here in June I found that there was no developed organization   
or plan for the  distribution of relief once it arrived here.  The Allied   
Military Government acting with the Army had administred such relief in   
the military zones passed from the Allied Military to the Italian   
Government control, there was nothing left behind, either in supplies or   
organizations.  I called many informal meetings and such members of the   
Allied Council for Italy, Allied Control Commission, Italian Red Cross,   
and others with a presumptive interest, to discuss these problems.  The   
Italian Red Cross and was at a low ebb due to the disabandment of the   
Fascist organization, the retreat to the North of the Red Cross head who   
took away its records and the remaining resources.  I had some aquaintance   
with the American Red Cross activites in Italy in the last war, being   
than, as now, a member of the controlling committee, ie., the Committee   
of Incorporators.  I knew teh Italian Red Cross could be made to function   
if it were e-established on a sound and up to date basis.  It needed all   
           the support the allies could give it.            
 
                                                            
 
 
I discussed these various problems with the Pope, and then with the   
Italian Prime Minister.  There was no cooperative relationship in this   
field yet, all were imbued with the same desire to help the stricken   
people of Italy.  From these discussions we were able to devise a plan for   
the consolidation of all the relief activities of the National Government,   
the Vatican, and the Italian Red Cross.  We were very insistent that it   
should be an Italian Committee, both because of its current political   
influence and because of its value as a continuing agency for relief   
purposes.  It was not easy to bring together the state, the church and the   
attenuated Italian Red Cross.  We succeeded.  The documents relating to   
    this National Committee are included  in this file.     
 
                                                            
 
 
Labor was subsequently represented by the appointment of an agreed member   
                 to the National Committee.                 
 
                                                            
 
 
We have here, then, all the elements of  Italian National life in a single   
organization for which, after investigation, we suggested an executive   
director: G. B. Vicentini who is functioning in that capacity.  We   
persuaded the Prime Minister to become Honorary Chairman. The officers and   
members of the committee of Nine  are disclosed in the booklet and you will   
observe that they are all of outstanding qualification and position in   
Italy.  A suggestion was made on the part of Allied Control Commission to   
have each ACC and AFHQ appoint a representative  on the committee.  We   
were not in favor at that time believing that it should be entirely   
Italian in character.  We did propose, and it was agrred, that a group of   
advisors should be named consisting of Allied Force Headquarters   
             represented by Lt. Col. J. G. Kip-