CABLE TO HENRY KISSINGER FROM GRAHAM MARTIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-165-5-2-1
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: December 19, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: April 24, 1970
• Content Type: CABLE

No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/20 : LOC-HAK-165-5-2-1
Ac01
C 2 4 1352Z ZYH
FM ROME
TO THE WHITE HOUSE
ZEM
ECRE 8Z` APR 7
FM AMBASSADOR MARTIN ROME
0 THE WHITE., HOLM, FOR DR
25X1
25X1
0
317
. KISSINGER
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
20 Z
State Dept. review
completed
MORI/CDF per
C05146757
MENT /ONED IN MY MESSAGE .TO.,,YOU,-AND THE PRESIDENT OF _THE., 22ND
THAT I WAS TO SEE -RUMOR -THURSDAY AFTERNOON. I MET WITH HIM; PRIVATELY
AT ,HIS HOME FORAN HOUR ANDA HALF LATE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. IT '
WAS A VERY FRANK'REVIEV OF--TIE. SITUATION AS 1? SAW IT, OF WHAT HE WAS "
GOING TO ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE.-,INT} E FORTHCOMING- ADMINISTRATIVE AND
REGIONAL ELECTIONS, OF TFE. IMPORTANCE OF THE OUTCOME TO TFE FLI,TURE*
OF-. ITALY AND OF THE, WESTERN' ALLIANCE, .AND HIS HOPES FOR ,SOME
6.SSISTANCE FROM US TO EVEN T11E SCALES WITH-THE MASSIVE SOVIET
SUPPORT OF T-HE- ITALIAN COMMUNIS? PARTY.
CONF-IRMED WHAT WE ALREADY KNE1,4, THAT 1-E HAD BEEN AN ADVOCATE
OF DISSOLUTION AND EARLY NATIONAL ELECTIONS, BUT THAT TIE INABILITY
TO PUT TOGETFEFLA MAJORITY IN THE CHRISTIAN.DEMOCRATIC PARTY DIRECT-
CRATE IN FAVOR OF DISSOLUTION HAD REALLY MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR
SARAGAT TO TAKE THIS ACTION. To! IT1-COUT RANCOR PE CONFIRMED TWT2 FACT
THAT TDEEP R IVALARY BETWEEN FANFAN I AND MORO FOR TFE SUCCES-
7ION TO -THE F'RESIDENCY WOULD PRECLUDE EITHER FROM LEADING AN ATTEMPT
TO UNIFY THE PARTY AND THAT THERE VAS NO RECOURSE EXCEPT FOR HIM TO
MAKE THIS ATTEMPT. HE SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS NOT AT ALL A HOPE-
LESS TASK BUT THAT IT WOULD REQUIRE A LITTLE LUCKPC.`1D SUPPORT FROM
TI-E FR I'ENDS OF ITALY.
HE WAS EXTREMELY CANDID IN HIS COMMENTS ABOUT THE PRESENT 'DISAR-
4Y.WITHIN' T.1:-E CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, ATTRIBUTING IT PARTLY
TO THE NORMAL CONSETJENCES OF REMAINING IN POWER FOR 25 YEARS AND'
PARTLY TO THE INDIVIDUALISTIC AND INTENSELY COMPETITIVE NATURE OF -
THE MASSE POLITICA RPT CLASSE POLITICA IN ITALY. FE BELIEVED _THA,T
THE RECENT 'OR ISIS RAD 1-I4D A SOBERING EFFECT AND THAT TRE WAS
AN
INCREASING REALIZATION THAT IF THE PARTY DID NOT UNDERGO A PROCESS
OF- REINVIGORATION THE' NATIONAL ELECTIONS IN -1973 miGHT WELL:_BE ,T1E
LA.ST ,IN A DEMOCRATIC ITALY. .HE EXPOUND7,:.D FOR 'A CONSIDERABLE LENGTH
OF TIME ON" THE -INTRICACIES OF T-EE` PROPORTIONAL- REPRESENTATION sy771,T
S IT AFFECTED 'TF.T.E CONTROL OF 'TIE. PARTY AND HIS DESIRE' TO CONCEN-
174TE ON SECURING THE ELECTION ON TE LOCAL LIST OF CHnSTIAN
732MOCRATIC CANDIDATES WHOSE ORIENTATION WOULD BE TOVARDS'TI-E CENTER,
1,,,IHO WOULD SUPPORT A- T IG HTENING PARTY DISCIPLINE,- AND .W HO WOULD SE
TCATED TO- .THE CONT INUED DEVOTION OF ITALY- TO THE WESTERN
LIANCE. PE SAID TWAT HE HAD BEEN MUCH IMPRESSED BY HIS CONVER-
TION WITH ROGER MORTON AIND 1112 INDICATION THAT IT- miGHT,,BE PUS-
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/20: LOC-HAK-165-5-2-1
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/20 : LOC-HAK-165-5-2-1
SIBLE TO EXPECT SOME TECHNICAL_ HELP IN _IN-E. MODERNIZATION, OF, THE
PARTY !YIACHINER Y. HE SAID THAT HE NEEDED '.CLEAR -EVIDENCE
POLIT-
ICAL SUPPORT - THAT AMERICA'. STILL BELIEVED IN ITALY AND, THE ESSEN-
TIALITY OF ITALY'S POSITION_-- IN ,T THE WESTERN 'ALLIANCE. HE SAID THAT: ,
mr. SPEECH AT -,TIE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN MILAN HADBEEN ,-.A
VERY - GREAT HELP. HE SAID THAT HE NEEDED 'TECHNICAL HELP ON ,
MODERNIZATION' OF THE',,MACHINERT, ..AND MATERIAL HELP' TO, COUNTER -:_THEr''.
MASSIVE SOVIET- SUPPORT.-TO THE OTHER SIDE._
REMINDED- THE PRIME MINISTER THAT, ON --TFE OCCASION OF ROGER-,,,
MORTON' S VISIT, I HAD --INDICATED THAT WE WOULD CERTAINLY: BE FORTH-
COMING ON THE---FIRST -ITEM ,r THOUGHT WE COULD BE. OF CONSIDERABLE'
ASSISTANCE ON TrE'.GUESTION' OF TECHNICAL .HELP BUT THAT THE QUESTION ?
OF MATERIAL.. HELP WOULD. POSE REALLY SERIOUS PROBLEMS. THE PRIME
MINISTER SAID ID,-,-THAT ,HE UNDERSTOOD THIS. HE' REMINDED ME, HOWEVER,'
THAT ANY REALISTIC ESTIMATE- OF SOVIET STRATEGY COULD LEAD TO NO OTHER
CONCLTYSION` EXCEPT THAT AN EMPHASIS ON SOUTHERN EUROPE WAS NOW
CLEARLY EVIDENT. HE SAD THAT BOTH THE ITALIAN AND YUGOSLAV
r:.'IOVERNMF:NTS WERE CONCERNED OVER EXTENSIVE SOVIET MANEUVERING TO
EXPLOIT ETHNIC AND CLASS DIFFERENCES -IN YUGOSLAVIA, LOOKING
TOWARD A POST-TITO PERIOD. HE SAID THE ORCHESTRATION OF COMMUNIST
PROPAGANDA- MACHINERY AGAINST GREECE HAD BEEN SO ENORMOUSLY EFFECTIVE
THAT THE LIBERALIZATION MOVES RECENTLY,. ANNOUNCED HAD BEEN NEGATED =
2y THE ORCHESTRATED AND WELL;-STAGED EXPLOITATION OF TI-IE TRIALS. . 25X1
HE ASKED ME IF I WAS AWARE OF THE RECENT SOVIET DECISION TO MAKE
A-vEILAtaf.E WO-PrE-TTrivr-s-r-rirILETON-P. T-HE?E-XTffrin:7-
-S-0-C--1-At: I ST
..A.SIVE SOVIET _SUPPIHT- -ATM:FR-ACT ION OF fIE OPPOSITION,
RT57:10-S- WAS GOING TO BE AN INCREASINGLY U
PME-17,7115EISTSATINGJ1ELaFROL2 THE OUTSIDE. -HE ESTIMATED THAT TOTAL
AVAICA-gILITTES' TO THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY- WOULD BE. BET-
WEEN 14 AND-,:l 6 BILLIONS OF LIRE (ABOUT 22.3-25.4 MILLION DOLLARS?
OF WHICH ABOUT- 11 BILLIONS WERE CONSUMED IN NORMAL PARTY ANNUAL
RECURRING COSTS.
.RUMOR CONFIRMED THAT IN ADDITION TO HIS CONCENTRATION-ON
SECuRING THE ELECTION OF LOCAL CD CANDIDATES WHICH WOULD RESULT:IN-
COHESIVE' WORKABLE MAJORITY IN THE CENTRAL -COMMITTEE OF THE
?ARTY DIRECTORATE, HE INTENDED TO MAKE A MASSIVE EFFORT IN THE "
THREE REGIONS OF EMILIA, UMBRIA AND TUSCANY. HERE, HE SAID, T
COMMUNISTS WOULD PROBABLY WIN BUT HE VERY MUCH HOPED TO REDUCE
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/20 : LOC-HAK-165-5-2-1
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/20: LOC-HAK-165-5-2-1
??
THEIR PER-CENTAGE AND TO' INCREASE :THAT, OF THE CR IST IAN -DEMOCRATS.
:RUMOR SAID_ IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR HIM, TO INDICATE THE
ORDER OF -MAGNITUDE OF._ T HE "MATERIAL",. I HELP WE ' MIGHT GIVE... HE SAID -
HE HAD CLEARLY OUTLINED-THE EXISTING -DISPARITY AND WOULD 'WELCOME. ANY -. ?
HELP THAT HE COULD GET., - . ? - -
HE- CONCLUDED BY SAYING THAT. WITH OR 'WITHOUT OUTSIDE HELP ,HE. WOULD
DO ? THE BEST', THAT HE .COULD BUT THAT .HE 'HOPED SOME MEANS MIGHT BE -
FOUND TO 'EVEN:- THE BALANCE IN VIEW OF-.11-1E MASSIVE 'SOVIET CONTRIBUT-.?
IONS TO THE ?ITALIAN COMMUNIST PARTYAND THE IR,,-ALL TES._ I. SAID I
WOULD REPORT.-..HIS OBSERVATIONS AND BE BACK,. IN TOUCH WITH HIM WHEN
HAD. HEARD.' FROM 'WASHINGTON::
WOULD BE USEFUL. AND, _I BELIEVE
CONSJDE,RABLE BE DONE,' WE WOULD MAKE E Y
EFFORT TO INSURE MAXIMUM RETURNS FOR OUR INVESTMENT. HOWEVER, FOR THE
REASONS I OUTLINED -MX' MESSAGE. OF THE 22ND, I DO NOT BELIEVE IT
wont) BE USEFUL TO ACCEDE ?Tr..1 THE DEMANDS WHICH ARE GOING TO BE MADE
BY OTHER PARTIES FOR A BROAD-SPECTRUM OF SUPPORT. I DO BELIEVE THAT,:
AN INVE.STMENT OF Ti-E MAGNITUDE' I MENTIONED- IN MY. PREVIOUS MESSAGE,
DIRECTED PRIMARILY TOWARDS OBTAINING ELECTION OF CHRISTIAN DEMO-
CRATIC LOCAL CANDIDATES WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A MORE COHESIVE AND WORK-
ABLE 'Y`AJOR ITY IN THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE AND THE DIRECTORATE, WOULD BE
LIELL WORTH OUR WHILE' AND I REITERATE MY RECOMENDAT ION THAT WE DO THIS.
GP- I
900
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No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/20: LOC-HAK-165-5-2-1