File No. 774/694.

The Italian Ambassador to the Secretary of State.

[Translation.]
No. 377.]

Mr. Secretary of State: The circular dated September 1, 1909, and addressed by the Department of State to the American representatives accredited to the powers which were represented at the Shanghai International Opium Conference and a copy of which was courteously communicated to this embassy by the department in its note of September 21 last was forwarded to the King’s Government at Rome where, as I am now informed by the royal ministry of foreign affairs, it has received the careful consideration of the Kingdom’s authorities concerned. The King’s Government, desiring as it does, to continue cooperating in the humanitarian purpose of the commission and future conference (to which purposes to appoint its delegates immediately upon knowing exactly when and where the meeting will take place) deems it its duty to make some reservation with regard to the proposition marked “N” relative to the creation of an international commission charged with the duty of enforcing the international agreements that may be effected as to opium production and trade. It can not be supposed, in fact, that the international commission will be invested in this case with executive powers, such as would amount to meddling in any way with the internal administration of the several participant States.

Further and foremost the King’s Government should be glad if the next conference would also give its attention to the Indian hemp and hashish trade.

The hashish question is, to our mind, just as weighty as the opium problem. The Italian Government would therefore deem it advantageous to have it considered at the same time and place as the other, because of the great and obvious analogy in the subject matter which would make it possible to apply to the hashish trade without any modifications of most of the provisions proposed in the case of the opium international trade. An international settlement of the hashish question is of special interest to Italy, not because it is a producer or consumer of the product, but because rather unscrupulous speculators, at home and abroad, have chosen to store and collect hashish on Italian territory for the ultimate purpose of smuggling into the countries where it is prohibited.

Now in the absence of an international agreement for the regulation of that trade it would be practically impossible to uproot that speculation as the King’s Government would wish to do without subjecting in the ports of the Kingdom national and foreign ships to annoyances and restrictions which would not be reproduced in foreign ports.

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While inviting your excellency’s attention to this new phase of the subject which might be advantageously submitted to the next conference, I embrace this opportunity, etc.,

Mayor.