[b]January 1950[/b]
[b]Rome, the Italian Republic [/b]
[center][img=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Emblem_of_Italy.svg][/center]

“Good people of this Italian Republic, it has been four years since the despotic rule of Umberto II was ended, democracy and freedom have prevailed as we bring in this new age of prosperity. This is why we were present at the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, to show our support in the destruction of oppressive regimes still ever present across Europe.”
[i]-A speech from Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi on the new year.[/i]

With the Italian Parliament’s birth Italy was beginning to enjoy a sustained period of economic growth despite the recent reparations paid out, this was thanks to smart money handling along with generous help from the Americans in the form of the Dawes Plan. However the Italian peninsula was still in terrible condition and had an army that was nowhere near the size of similar European countries’. Along with this Italy’s colonial lands had been taken in the end of the second world war, some of which had been taken in times long before the tyrannical rule of Mussolini, creating a feeling of anger within the masses as they felt they had been punished more than their due.

In response to the lack of soldiers Italy began a campaign to try and draw more men into the army. The rising power of the communists to the North East meant that Italy was inadequately prepared to aid their NATO allies in times of war. A media recruitment campaign would begin along with special monetary bonuses and clauses for milestones in the number of years men spent in service. However Italy was in no place to spend that much money so soon after their fragile economy had only just been repaired. To allow for this a letter was first penned to the president of the United States of America. Furthermore the aid could be used to help rebuild the agriculture of Italy. Farms had been levelled and the countryside was in ruins, however farm subsidies would be a great help in combating any hunger that may befall the peninsula.
[quote]To: Harry S Truman
From: Alcide De Gasperi
Mr President, the Italian government is eternally thankful for the aid you provide to us through the Dawes Plan however we are still in a poor state and so we must again ask for your generous aid. Our military is barely enough to maintain order within our own borders, barely capable of combating the growing threat of communism. I humbly request that you provide us with monetary aid and weapons so as to allow to the fast recruitment of another 2 battalions to join the Italian Army. We hope to have men ready for combat by the end of the year with your aid however we feel we may soon fall behind other nations and become more of a burden than an aid if we are allowed to do that. Furthermore our countryside and farms have become so damaged and destroyed during your liberation of our soil from that snake, Mussolini, that we may suffer from shortages in the next few years. If you would be able to provide us with a small agriculture subsidy per year it would allow us to direct more of our own personal wealth into the other aspects of the nation to allow for more growth. I hope to hear back from you post hate.
Yours, Alcide De Gasperi.[/quote]