The Acting Secretary of State to Chargé Hitt.
Washington, January 26, 1906.
Sir: I have to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. White’s No. 90, of the 23d ultimo,b requesting instructions as to the issue of a passport [Page 911] to a person where a discrepancy exists, as is often the case with naturalized American citizens of Italian origin, between the original Italian name and an Anglicized form thereof under which the person has been naturalized.
You cite as instances Antonio Bartoletta, who became by naturalization Anthony Bartlett, and Giovani Ventimiglia, who endeavored to be naturalized as John Twentymiles, but who became in the certificate John Twontymill.
In reply I have to say that the rule is (rule 6): “The signature to the application should conform in orthography to the applicant’s, name as written in his certificate of naturalization, or an explanation of the difference should be submitted.” If the identity of the applicant is well established and there is no reason to suspect attempted fraud, there would seem to be no objection to giving him a passport in the name by which he is known, if his name has merely undergone a colloquial modification without being absolutely changed. It would manifestly be unjust to make naturalized citizens who are so situated that they can not find relief by going to the naturalizing courts suffer because courts have naturalized them under incorrectly written names; nor is the Anglicizing of foreign names in naturalization certificates by itself sufficient ground for refusing passports to naturalized citizens.
I am, etc.,
- Not printed.↩