With a bold stroke of power diplomacy, the U.S. and Britain last week set out to break the eight-year-old stalemate over Trieste. The decision required careful readings of a complex and impassioned situation.
The problem they faced:
Italy, which lost Trieste by the World War II peace treaty, claims the entire territory, and its claim was formally backed by the U.S., Britain and France in 1948. Trieste, a stirring emotional symbol to all Italians, threatened to fray Italy's ties to the Western coalition and block her participation in the proposed European Army. But diplomatic soundings in Rome suggested that Italy might now be persuaded to settle.
Yugoslavia, trading hard on its cold war value to the West, wants all the Free Territory except the city of Trieste for itself, demands that the port be internationalized to keep it out of Italy's control. But diplomatic soundings in Belgrade suggested that Marshal Tito, though he would squawk, might be brought to settle for an arrangement that would leave him in control of the less populous Zone B part of the divided Free Territory of Trieste.
The Western Powers could not cajole Italy and Yugoslavia into a friendly bargain. To continue to do nothing would be to let the tension increase. The U.S. decided on action, persuaded the British to go along. Their decision was to help Italy's cause and to risk Tito's ire.
One day last week, the U.S. and British ambassadors in Rome and Belgrade delivered messages to the Italian and Yugoslav governments. "As soon as practicable," said the notes, the U.S. and Britain will withdraw their occupation troops from Trieste Territory's Zone A and hand it over to Italy's control, leaving Yugoslavia in command of Zone B.* "[We] trust," said the Big Two, "that it will provide the basis for friendly and fruitful cooperation between Italy and Yugoslavia." With each in control of a zone, Italy now had the "parity" it has long demanded as a prerequisite to further negotiations. It might, for example, offer the Yugoslavs port facilities in exchange for the return of predominantly Italian towns on the Istrian coast.
The ambassadors went back to the embassies to wait for the repercussions. They did not have long to wait.
In Italy, a voice broke into the scheduled program of the government radio. "This is a special announcement." Italians thrilled at the news. Newspapers, except those of the far left, broke out their big type to proclaim AN ACT OF JUSTICE. Wrote Italy's leading daily, Corriere della Sera: "What happened has been to a great extent the work of a woman, of Mrs. [Clare Boothe] Luce, and it is right and necessary that the Italian people know it . . . Perhaps one day we will learn with what patience, intelligence and diplomatic tact Mrs. Luce succeeded in bringing this arduous task to a happy end." But Ambassador Luce, in a press conference, attributed the plan's adoption to the concerted efforts of Anglo-American embassies and foreign offices.