Confidential report from Michael MacWhite to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)
(261/47/1521)

In a conversation this afternoon at the Foreign Office with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Sforza, he referred to his very cordial meeting at Paris a week ago with the Taoiseach for whose ability and statesmanship he expressed the highest regard. He believes that Italy and Ireland have many things in common and that the two countries ought to be able to play an important role in the reconstruction of Europe.

Now, that Fascism is dead Italy, too, can afford to look at the map of the world without prejudice and bring to bear on international problems the objectivity for which she has been noted in the past and which is the result of centuries of Latin civilisation. In the United States, at the last presidential election, Roosevelt might have been defeated if the two or three million Italian votes he received were cast against him. In New York, San Francisco and other American cities a combination of Irish and Italian voters would be difficult to overcome. Now that the Germans are unlikely to advertise their racial origin for many years to come, the Italians and the Irish are the most outstanding National groups. De Gasperi realised this on his visit to America early this year. Their influence in the political and social life of the United States if wisely directed should make a formidable contribution to the general good.

Count Sforza regretted that the Taoiseach cannot see his way to visit Italy in the near future. The first Head of a Foreign Government who has accepted an invitation to visit Rome as the guest of the Italian Government will be the Canadian Prime Minister, Mackenzie King. He would in any case have come to Italy for a rest after having assisted at the wedding ceremony of Princess Elizabeth in London.