"The advice would, however, have to be followed up in more detail in the event of intelligence indicating a particular type of attack", he added.

BBC: The threat

But his chosen focus on the last year of the war means that he does not deal in detail with what is surely the key event in this tragic period in Italian history: the bungled arrangements for an armistice in September 1943.

ECONOMIST: The second world war in Italy

Bound by a bilateral alliance treaty, the U.S. is responsible for protecting South Korea if it comes under enemy attack, though some Koreans have pressed for more detail over how that would play out in the event of an emergency.

WSJ: U.S., South Korea Sign Military Contingency Plan