-lO-                            
 
                                                            
 
                  Action Relief for Italy                   
 
                                                            
 
 
 Early in 1944, at your instance, I undertook to organize  
American Relief for Ittaly. The controversies in Italian pol-  
itics reaching across the sea to the great Italo-American  
population made the development of unity of action even in the  
field of charity in America a difficult problem. By stages this  
was accomplished. The President's Committee, the National War  
Fund, supported this enterprise. In April and 'May the collec-  
tion of used clothing, shoes, materials, milk and medical supplies  
proceeded, and now at the time this letter is ,written in November,  
over 5,000,000 polmds have been assembled and, after much diffi-  
culty in securing transportation, about 4,000,000 pounds have  
       been shipped to Italy. Half of it has arrived.       
 
                                                            
 
 
Meantime, on arrival in Rome, I found no organized facili-  
ties, either in the Allied. Army or in the National Government, or any   
civilian agencies to insure distribution. I succeeded  
in persuading the National Government (Prime Minister Bonomi),  
the Vatican (His Holiness Pope Pius XII), and the Italian Red  
Cross (Dr. Umberto Zanotti-Bianco, President) to join in the  
formation of a National Agency for the Distribution of Relief  
in Italy. The Prime Minister, Signor Bonomi, Pope Pius XII,  
and yourself, :Mr. President, gave consent and approval. The inclusion of   
      the Italian Red Cross was to give it assistance