811.00/18½
The Ambassador in Italy (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 20.]
My Dear Mr. Secretary: By the time this reaches you, the election will have become a thing of the past; but news reaches here so slowly that it will be still crisp to us even then. It is only to-day that I heard indirectly that Mr. Hughes has telegraphed his congratulations to the President. No paper has come later than the 30th of October and only one letter has arrived written since the 7th of November.
So, we are all waiting eagerly to get the American papers telling how the various States have gone. In any event, it is sufficient for me to know that Americanism, sheer and clear, has triumphed over all the other sorts and conditions, whether diluted or undiluted.
What a triumph it has been for Americanism and Democracy, and what a great triumph it has been for the President as the representative of both. I hardly know which to admire most,—the ability or the dignity with which he conducted this campaign. In fact, I think they are so closely connected that they must be taken together.
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Moreover, I feel that there is a distinct feeling of relief in those parts of Europe with which I may be said to be in touch, even to a limited extent, that the policy of the American Government as heretofore presented, will not be substituted by an unknown policy, preceded by a period of several months in which the unknown must have over-shadowed that which, although known, might be said to have been repudiated.
I have received personal congratulations from any number of my colleagues, the most interesting of which, to me, were those of the Japanese Ambassador, who took the trouble to write a note expressing his personal congratulations. . . . I have received congratulations from both the British and the Russian Ambassadors, as well as from the representatives of the Government here.
I desire to express to you personally my high appreciation of the able manner with which the foreign relations of our Government have been conducted during these last two years of stress and storm. I do not believe that greater problems were ever presented to any Government or conducted with greater skill and success than those which have been presented to this Administration, and which you have borne so great a part in solving.
I believe that from now on European Governments will recognize the power of the Administration as being much greater than it has been esteemed by them, certainly for the last year. The whole tone of the press has changed, especially of the London press, and I feel [Page 741] sure that a considerable part of the attitude exhibited by this press toward America in the past, was due to the attitude of their correspondents in America who have always had an attitude, not only critical towards America; but actually hostile to all American opinion which was not subservient to England.
I have been following with much care the reports of the various conferences or meetings or whatever they are termed, which have been going on between the representatives of the allied countries and have felt it opportune to keep in mind here the danger which Italy might have to face hereafter, of finding herself greatly hampered if she should bind herself now by the sort of pacts which the newspapers state are the object of these inter-ally conferences. Only this morning I had an opportunity to bring to the attention of the Minister for Foreign Affairs certain published reports of work that is going on to render the economical relations between Italy and her Allies ever closer and closer, and I asked him how far these combinations were expected to go,—all in a perfectly unofficial way, of course,—and he assured me that there was not the slightest intention of entering into any obligation which would bind them, beyond the period of the war, and he seemed to agree with me in thinking that conventions dealing with economic questions were likely to have to yield to the economic conditions themselves and that the people of a country were not likely to submit to anything that was manifestly against their interests in such matters. In other words, that economic laws would prevail over whatever attempt might be made to traverse them.
There is great interest here in what our Government will do regarding the two most recent moves on the part of the Central Powers—the sinking of the British hospital-ships and the deportation of the civil population of Belgium into Germany. It does not appear yet to have been definitely established that the Britannic was sunk by a torpedo, though it looks as though this were the cause. She was a great ship and by far the most wonderful thing in the shape of a hospital that I ever saw. I was taken over her last winter when she was at Naples and was shown her hospital equipment from top to bottom,—I rather think with a view to showing me that she was not armed in any way whatever, or indeed used for any other purpose than that of a floating hospital.
As the Greek situation is too complicated and too changeable,—though the change always seems to be from bad to worse,—for one to give any definite opinion upon it, I will not cumber this letter with it.
The death of the old Emperor of Austria has been received here with the sentiment which might well have been expected. The press [Page 742] has given the expected report of his relation to Italy, with references to the suffering which Italy endured under his rule or administration. The people at large were glad to have that which is considered the most terrible thing to which mortality is subject, visited upon him. The thoughtful accept the inevitable without knowing precisely whether his death will produce any change whatever and if so what the effect will be. It is apparently not thought that there will be any great change in the military conduct of the war; but there seems to be an idea that the young Emperor may fall more under the influence of the Emperor of Germany than the old Emperor was.
I know too little of the internal affairs of Austria to have an opinion on this subject. I rather think, however, that this new Emperor will follow the course of the old one until he gets well seated in the saddle and that then he will wish to choose his own road and gait and personally I look for some change in the Austrian relation to the present situation, though I would not be rash enough to say what form it will take.
Believe me [etc.]