Repository. Research Institute University European Institute. EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE, FLORENCE Cadmus, on DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION University ITALIAN DIPLOMACY “Anti-Americanism in XXth century Europe” Project directed by Professor Claude Fohlen BADIA FIESOLANA, SAN DOMENICO (F I) AFTER WORLD WAR II (1 9 PERCEPTIONS OF EUI EUI WORKING Access European Open Project Paper No. 8 Antonio Author(s). Available by The V 2020. arsori © in Library EUI the by produced version Digitised Repository. Research Institute University European Institute. Cadmus, on This This paper should hot be reproduced whole in or in part University Access European without prior permission of the author Open Printed in Italy in November 1986 European University Institute I I - 50016 San Domenico (FI) Author(s). Available (C) Antonio (C) Varsori The Badia Fiesolana 2020. © in Library EUI the by produced version Digitised Repository. Research Institute University European diplomatic service's attitude towards the U.S. have very often regarded as useful sources for understanding Italy's foreign obvious reasons, scholars' attention American focused more on U.S. policy relations offers us some interesting studies, but, for years is not without difficulties. We lack diplomatic serious studies service about towards U.S. policy during the early "cold war" Italian Diplomacy and Contrasting Perceptions of American Policy of of wide-spread criticism of the U.S. results role of in political international and journalistic polemics, which developed Washington and Egidio Ortona's Anni d'America 1944-1951.0) policy. Italian-American relations, however, offer historians two international partners.(1) Historiography about post-war Ttalian- affairs. affairs. As an example, in a between pamphlet the late 1960s and mid-1970sthe as an obvious published consequence in 1968, L. been influenced by well-rooted commonplaces. Some of were them the interesting exceptions Alberto : Tarchiani's Dieci anni tra Roma e too, too, the memoirs towards and Italy diaries than on Italy's policy towards the U.S.(2) of Usually, Italian diplomats cannot be the image Italian politicians and diplomats developed of their Institute. The The attempt at analysing the attitude of the Italian Besides these general remarks, assessments of the Italian Cadmus, on University after World War II - (1947 1950) Access European Open Antonio Varsori Author(s). Available The 2020. © in Library EUI the by produced version Digitised _ 2 - Repository. Graziano charged the Italian diplomatic service with subservience to U.S. policy : Research Our diplomatic skill means a sheer compliance with (U.S.) views. Only when and if the "big brother" gives us an example, we are ready to follow that example (...) Our Institute diplomats are working in this context of structural deficiencies and for the sake of a dubious realpolitik.(4) I might quote many journalistic or historical essays which University have been based on such an assumption. For the period I am dealing with, I would mention Faenza's and Fini's Gli Americani in European Italia (5). a book published in 1976 and widely read as its Institute. authors largely quoted American official records, made available Cadmus, under the Freedom of Information Act. Even this study, however, is on of little avail; Faenza and Fini seemed to be more interested in University exposing OSS or CIA plots and intrigues than in seriously Access examining Italian-American relations. As for Italian diplomats and European Open anti-Communist politicians, they were usually regarded as fools or cowards, ready to comply with every wish of their American Author(s). Available "masters". Of course we must not forget how a well-known American The 2020. revisionist historian, Gabriel Kolko. had labelled Count Sforza. © in Italian Foreign Minister during the post-war period, an "American ploy".(6) Library Even if this sort of judgment has been superseded by more EUI thoughtful and cautious evaluations, many sections of Italian the public opinion still believe that complete subservience to the by U.S. is a common feature in the Italian diplomatic service. In 1979 a group of political scientists carried out an analysis of produced version Digitised 3 Repository. the attitude of Italian public opinion towards foreign affairs. A questionnaire was submitted to 433 opinion leaders. Most of them stated their belief that the Italian diplomatic service had a good Research training, but that it was conditioned in its activities and decisions by foreign influence; obviously the source of this Institute influence was U.S. policy.(7) Regardless of these commonplaces and generalizations, what University was the real attitude of the Italian diplomatic service towards the U.S. during the post-war period ? Were Italian diplomatic European activities so influenced by American choices ? Were Italian diplomats so blindly pro-American as to neglect their country's Institute. interests ? Cadmus, on The picture an analysis of Italian diplomatic documents gives University us is much more complex and varied. Access In this essay I have tried to answer the above-mentioned European questions. but of course my researches will have to be Open substantiated by further studies. It is only during the last few Author(s). years that the diplomatic documents for the post-war period - kept Available at the Italian Foreign Ministry archives - have become available The 2020. © to Italian and foreign scholars. Unluckily the papers of the in Washington Embassy are an exception to this rule because the Library arrangement of this class is still in progress. However, we can EUI find copies of the most important telegrams, letters and memoranda the from and to Washington in other record groups, such as Paris by Embassy, London Embassy and "Direzione Generate Affari Politici".f8) Some private and state archives (Fondazione Luigi produced version Digitised 4 Repository. Einaudi, Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Biblioteca Ambrosiana) may also be considered as further useful sources. Research Of course in this brief paper it was impossible to analyse the attitude of the whole Italian diplomatic service; I have Institute focused my attention on some outstanding figures, such as Alberto Tarchiani, Italian Ambassador in Washington, and Pietro Quaroni, University the well-known and influential ambassador in Paris.(9) I have not forgotten Tommaso Gallarati Scotti, who was Italian ambassador in European London (10), nor Count Vittorio Zoppi, who in 1948 was appointed segretario generale of Palazzo Chigi (at that time the buildingInstitute. where the Italian Foreign Office was located). Anyone who is Cadmus, on familiar with the structures of the Italian Foreign Ministry willUniversity easily realize the important role played by a segretario generale. Access Finally, one cannot omit Count Sforza's role; appointed Foreign European Open Minister in 1947, he retained his office till 1951. He was of course a politician, but he had been a career diplomat and I think Author(s). he always regarded himself as a diplomat.(11) As points of Available reference for this study I have chosen a few events (from theThe 2020. © Marshall Plan, to Italy's joining the Atlantic Pact, to the Korean in War), which are essential points both in international affairs and Library in post-war Italian-Arnerican relations. EUI the The early months of 1947 were particularly relevant in by shaping both the Italian internal situation and Italy's foreign policy. Italy became an element in "cold war" politics and began produced to align herself with the Western world. De Gasperi's journey to version Digitised 5 Repository. the United States at the beginning of January was - and still is - regarded as the first proof of Italy's attempt at building up a steady relationship with the Truman administration.(12) During Research that same month, moreover, Italy went through the Socialist split, with the foundation of an anti-Communist Social Democratic party, Institute and a government crisis. The third De Gasperi Cabinet was characterized by a weakened influence of the leftist parties. This University sort of cabinet reshuffle offered De Gasperi the opportunity to appoint as Foreign Minister - after Nenni's experience - Count European Carlo Sforza, a republican, who was, with the Christian Democratic Prime Minister, to become one of the main "actors" in Italian Institute. foreign policy during the late 1940s and the early 195Cs. A few Cadmus, on months later, in May/June 1947, a further government crisis led to University the final dismissal of Socialist and Communist ministers from the Access Italian Cabinet. It was the beginning of a hard struggle between European the Left on one hand, and the pro-Western moderate parties on the Open other. In the background it was easv to foresee the approaching Author(s). general elections of April 1948 and it was not difficult to Available realize how Italian internal conflicts were strictly connected The 2020. © with the more general conflict of interests between the U.3. and in the U.S.S.R.(13) Library That same June 1947 Secretary of State George C. Marshall EUI launched his plan for the economic recovery of Europe. Italian the adhesion to the American project was immediate and by enthusiastic.(14) Sforza greeted the Marshall Plan as a proof of American unselfishness and generosity. In April 1948 Sforza wrote produced an article on this American economic initiative. In his essay. version Digitised 6 which was published by "Foreign Affairs", the Italian Foreign Repository. Minister stated: Research The Harvard speech was a turning point in the history of the relations between Europe and America, and Europeans are deeply grateful to Secretary Marshall and to the United Institute States for taking this approach to a solution of our common problems.(15) And he stressed : University The Italian Government greeted the Marshall Plan with unconditional approval from the first moment.(16) European Institute. Apart from these statements, mainly aimed at impressing Cadmus, American public opinion, the Marshall Plan and U.S.