Ambassador White to
the Secretary of State.
American Embassy,
Rome,
Italy, September 28,
1905.
No. 64.]
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith for
your information correspondence between the minister for foreign affairs
and myself regarding the enforced service in the Italian army of one
Giuseppe Formica, a naturalized American citizen of Italian origin.
Formica wrote to the embassy in July last that he was being compelled to
serve in the Fourth Company of the Fifty-ninth Infantry Regiment at
Exilles, province of Turin, and furnished the following material
information: That he was born in Italy in 1882; emigrated to the United
States when 8 years of age, and returned to Italy some time after
December last, being then more than 20 years old. In proof of his
American citizenship he produced his passport, No. 95840, issued by the
Department on December 1, 1904, and the certificate of his
naturalization before the United States district court for the western
district of Pennsylvania on May 1, 1903.
As the principle laid down by the foreign office corresponds with the
Department’s “Notice to citizens formerly subjects of Italy who
contemplate returning to that country,” dated March 18, 1901,a I see no reason to take
any further steps in the matter.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Ambassador White to the Minister for
Foreign Affairs.
American Embassy,
Rome, July 31,
1905.
Mr. Minister: I beg leave to call the
attention of the royal ministry of foreign affairs and through its
kind intermission the attention of the ministry of war to the
following case of hardship in which an American citizen of Italian
birth is involved.
Giuseppe Formica was born in Gizzeria, province of Catanzaro, in 1882
and was taken to America by his father in 1891. Upon arriving at his
majority he became a citizen of the United States, married, and has
a wife and two children whose home is at No. 81 Spencer street,
Brooklyn, N. Y. In January last his health not being strong, Formica
came to make a visit to Italy, and was pressed into the Italian army
as a renitente of the class of 1882 March 1, 1905. He is now a
member of the Twenty-ninth Regiment of Infantry, stationed at
Exilles, province of Turin. Meanwhile the man’s wife and children
are at Gizzeria, the money which they have is about exhausted, and
unless the husband is allowed to return to America to follow his
business the wife and children will soon be in want.
If the military authorities of His Majesty’s Government, therefore,
can arrange to release Formica from his present distressing
position, the man will be most grateful and the Government at
Washington much obliged.
I avail, etc.,
[Inclosure
2.—Translation.]
The Under Secretary of
State to Ambassador White.
Rome, September 25,
1905.
Mr. Ambassador: In reply to the esteemed
note which your excellency was pleased to address to me July 31
last, I have the honor to inform you that Giuseppe Formica was, by
the fact of his enrollment, allowed provisional exemption from the
call to arms according to article 33 of the laws in regard to
immigration, because he had expatriated himself before he [Page 567] was 16 years of age. In
order to continue to profit by such an exemption, he should have
continued to reside abroad, or else, had he wished to return to the
country of his birth and to remain there for a period not exceeding
two months, he should have had a special permit from the royal
consular authorities.
It appears, however, that on March 1 last Formica presented himself
in person to the commander of the military district of Catanzaro in
order to enter upon his service, and to discharge his obligations as
a conscript, from which he was not exempt because of his loss of
Italian citizenship.
The ministry of war regrets, therefore, that it is unable to absolve
Formica from military service which he entered upon voluntarily.
Please accept, etc.,
G. Fustinate,
The Under Secretary of
State.
