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vatican secret diplomacy This page intentionally left blank charles r. gallagher, s.j. Vatican Secret Diplomacy joseph p. hurley and pope pius xii yale university press new haven & london Disclaimer: Some images in the printed version of this book are not available for inclusion in the eBook. Copyright © 2008 by Yale University. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Set in Scala and Scala Sans by Duke & Company, Devon, Pennsylvania. Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gallagher, Charles R., 1965– Vatican secret diplomacy : Joseph P. Hurley and Pope Pius XII / Charles R. Gallagher. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-300-12134-6 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Hurley, Joseph P. 2. Pius XII, Pope, 1876–1958. 3. World War, 1939–1945— Religious aspects—Catholic Church. 4. Catholic Church—Foreign relations. I. Title. BX4705.H873G35 2008 282.092—dc22 [B] 2007043743 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Com- mittee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To my father and in loving memory of my mother This page intentionally left blank contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 A Priest in the Family 8 2 Diplomatic Observer: India and Japan, 1927–1934 29 3 Silencing Charlie: The Rev. Charles E. Coughlin and the Vatican 49 4 An American Monsignor in Mussolini’s Italy 71 5 “Spies Everywhere”: Hurley at Vatican City, 1940 93 6 An American Bishop in President Roosevelt’s Court 109 7 Propagandist in Black: Hurley and the U.S. Department of State 131 8 A Parallel Endeavor against Communism: The United States and the Vatican in Tito’s Yugoslavia 154 viii contents 9 Betrayal in the Balkans: The Stepinac Case 176 10 Standing Alone between Church and State: Hurley and American Anticommunism 196 11 Last Years, Final Struggles 213 Notes 229 Index 275 Illustrations follow page 108 acknowledgments i owe a deep debt of personal gratitude to a number of people who inspired, encouraged, and cheerfully assisted in bringing this biography to press. Dr. Steven M. Avella suggested the subject for my dissertation at Mar- quette University and has continued to be a source of inspiration. His astute counsel and passion for the craft of history have infl uenced me greatly. This study of Vatican diplomacy could not have been undertaken without the consent and permission of a number of Roman Catholic clerics. First, I am deeply indebted to the Most Reverend John J. Snyder, D.D., who graciously allowed access to Archbishop Hurley’s extensive archive. Without Bishop Snyder’s esteem for freedom of research, this project could not have been conceived. I am indebted to Rev. Keith R. Brennan, former Chancellor of the Diocese of St. Augustine, and Rev. Michael Morgan, the current Chancellor of the Diocese of St. Augustine, for their many kindnesses. There are many Jesuits to thank. My Provincial, the Very Reverend Thomas J. Regan, S.J., has been supportive and helpful in so many ways. In 2006 it was my good fortune to be assigned to the Jesuit community at the College of the Holy Cross, where this project was fi nalized. The constant support of so many fi ne and lively scholars, and especially Rectors Anthony J. Kuzniewski, S.J., and James M. Hayes, S.J., was crucial to its completion. ix x acknowledgments I am indebted to many who provided interviews and practical advice, especially James Martin, S.J., of America magazine; Ms. Kathleen Bagg- Morgan, of the Diocese of St. Augustine; Monsignor Frank M. Mouch; and the late Raymond E. Brown, S.S. The late Monsignor John P. McNulty, Archbishop Hurley’s valiant secretary at the Belgrade nunciature, provided many helpful insights. Mrs. Anne Bryant very kindly allowed access to the diaries of her mother, Caroline D. Phillips. Professor David J. O’Brien, of the College of the Holy Cross, supplied pivotal advice. I am truly grateful to the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript for Yale University Press. This is a much better book as a result of their generosity, encouragement, and critical guidance. I wish to acknowledge the help of a number of scholars who have assisted me in various stages of the writing of this book, especially Rev. Gerald P. Fogarty, S.J., of the University of Virginia; Michael Gannon, of the University of Florida; Michael Phayer and Patrick Carey, of Marquette University; and Dianne Kirby, of the University of Ulster. Athan Theo- haris of Marquette University read the entire manuscript, made copious suggestions, and assisted in the analysis of various intelligence-related documents. His early enthusiasm for the project gave me a real boost in confi dence. Many archivists and librarians kindly lent their expert assistance. I am especially grateful to W. John Shepherd, of the American Catholic History Research Center at the Catholic University of America; William Kevin Cawley, of the University of Notre Dame Archives; Diana Antul, of the College of the Holy Cross Dinand Library; Phil Runkel, at Marquette University Archives; John Fox, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Nicholas Scheetz, at Georgetown University Special Collections; Ms. Carol A. Leadenham, at the Hoover Institution Archives; Leslie A. Morris, of Harvard University’s Houghton Library; and Milton O. Gustafson, Senior Specialist for Diplomatic Records at the U.S. National Archives. The support of Mrs. Mercedes Hughes, Archbishop Hurley’s loving niece, was invaluable in the completion of this project. Her benefaction was both deeply generous and entirely unconditional. A Cyril E. Smith Fellowship at Marquette University was instrumental in the development from thesis to book. Last but not least, I wish to express my gratitude to my editor at Yale University Press, Chris Rogers, and his assistant, Laura acknowledgments xi Davulis. Special thanks go to Ann Hawthorne, who edited the manuscript with a keen eye and off ered immensely valuable advice. I cannot thank her enough for her brilliant work. All have shown immense patience and kindness and have helped me to become a better writer and a better historian. This page intentionally left blank Introduction this book is a political biography of a religious person. It is the story of one man’s struggle to clarify patriotic loyalty to his country in light of his commitments as a Roman Catholic leader in time of war, both hot and cold. Joseph Patrick Hurley was a man of prayer, patriotism, and sacrifi ce for his church. He engaged at high levels in the diplomacy of war and peace, both for his church and at the behest of his government. Much of his diplomatic work was carried out in secret and was deliberately hid- den from his close friends and colleagues. Such was the style of Vatican diplomacy during the era of World War II. From the nineteenth century through the onset of the Cold War, the diplomatic negotiations of most countries were conducted behind closed doors, in accordance with strict notions of protocol, and treaties were fi nalized by a select handful of ac- credited principals. By the 1960s secrecy had given way to openness in negotiation. The success of diplomacy was measured less by the substance of undisclosed consultations and more by the “spirit” generated in public conferences. Although Hurley would live to see this revolution in diplo- macy, his own endeavors took place in a very diff erent environment. The fi rst reason to investigate Hurley’s diplomatic work connects pre- cisely to the unpublicized nature of his dealings. Since the Vatican’s Secret Archives for most of the period in which he worked are currently closed to researchers, Hurley’s reminiscences and attitudes provide a unique 1 2 introduction real-time glimpse into the debates surrounding the Holy See’s position on Nazism, wartime neutrality, antisemitism, and the Holocaust. They are important, as well, because they refl ect an American perspective on Vatican procedure, posture, and policy. Hurley’s attitudes and experiences also embody the struggles of a fi rst-generation American cleric to reconcile his assimilation into American culture with his loyalty to his church. In many ways his life highlights various areas of confl ict and stress encoun- tered by many twentieth-century Catholics as they struggled to acculturate to the larger American society. Through much of his political and diplomatic career, Hurley served as the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine, presiding over the expansion and consolidation of Catholicism in Florida during a period of extraordinary ecclesiastical growth. As one of the fi rst modern Sunbelt bishops, he moved his diocese into the new religious landscape with prescience, aplomb, and vigor.1 Until now Hurley’s diplomatic career has been unexplored. Given the length and breadth of his career, and the fact that he was the fi rst American to be raised to the equivalent rank of nuncio, or Vatican am- bassador, the omission seems surprising. A major reason for this silence is that his offi cial archive was held under seal for many years, but other factors also played a part. With few notable exceptions—as many Florida priests recall—Hurley remained tight-lipped about his work for the Vati- can. He refused to speak about it with his priests unless they had been hand-picked to join him in diplomacy.