763.72119/3515
The President of the Italian National Council of Fiume ( Grossich ) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received January 25, 1919.]
Sir: I have the honor to confirm our telegram of December 19, stating as follows:
“The Italian National Council has been informed by the interallied headquarters in Fiume that a part of the harbour of this town with its buildings is seized by the French Government to make a base for supplying the Eastern Army.
Fiume was in the past a free town and is now an independent state and, therefore, has to protest against such an act which is considered as a breach of its sovereign powers.
The town protests against this arbitrary occupation, also because it fears that Servians and Jugoslaves troops, belonging to those Governments which, by violence, had taken possession and had been running [Page 337] Fiume without any right and at present would like to annex it, should consider themselves as authorized to enter into the town.
At the same time the town of Fiume, whose Italian population has always shown a friendly attitude towards the Entente, declares itself not only ready but delighted to facilitate and if necessary to take over the supply services for the Eastern Army. This declaration has been already made to the representatives of the French Army in Fiume who have taken it into consideration and who have signed a protocol concerning the disembarking, storage and transmission of the goods to the Eastern Army.
The above reported decisions which have not been communicated to this National Council, which is running the town, are in contradiction with those signed in the said protocol by the French authorities.
The National Council in name of the town and district of Fiume begs you to examine its right claim and would highly appreciate if you would communicate with the allied governments to which we have already submitted this claim, in order that the sacred rights of this free town may be safeguarded and in this case to have the concessions made to France annulled and to have this National Council, as government running the town, entrusted with the supply services for the Eastern Army,[”]
I have [etc.]