File No. 711.654/6.
No. 446.]
American Embassy,
Rome,
September 15, 1911.
[Inclosure 1.]
Ambassador Leishman to the Minister for
Foreign Affairs.
No. 331.]
American Embassy,
Rome,
July 31, 1911.
Excellency: Referring to a note from this
Embassy dated May 25, 1907, in regard to the conclusion of a
naturalization treaty between the United States and Italy, and to
subsequent conversations on the subject, I have the honor to inform
your excellency that I have again been instructed by my Government
to inquire whether the Royal Government would be disposed to
consider the conclusion of such a convention at the present
time.
I avail [etc.]
[Inclosure 2—Translation.]
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs to Ambassador Leishman.
No. 17.]
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Rome,
August 22, 1911.
Mr. Ambassador: In your note of July 31
last, your excellency, acting under instructions from your
Government, requested to know if the Government of the King were now
disposed again to take into consideration the proposal made as far
back as 1907 for the conclusion of a naturalization treaty between
the two countries.
In this connection, I must refer to the Ministerial note of May 27,
1908, No. 48. In it, my predecessor had the honor to explain to your
excellency’s predecessor the reasons for which the Government of the
King, after an accurate study of the proposition, was forced into
the conclusion that, given the different currents of our emigration
and the disagreement of various kinds which not infrequently arise
regarding the treatment to be accorded to Italians naturalized in
foreign countries and having obligations of military service in the
Kingdom of Italy, it would not be possible to regulate the complex
question of nationality in the relations with different countries by
means of international treaties, which would necessarily be
different among them and incomplete in substance, but it would be
more expedient instead to work out the solution of the arduous
problem by means of internal legislation which uniformly grants
special favors and imposes special obligations to Italians according
to the circumstances in which they find themselves in the country of
their residence.
[Page 398]
My predecessor concluded begging the Embassy to be good enough to
express to its Government the regret of that of the King to have to
decline the offer courteously made to it to negotiate a
naturalization treaty.
In response to the esteemed note of July 31, 1911, I can only confirm
what my predecessor then had the honor to reply: but I believe it
opportune to add that a project of law on citizenship has been
actually presented to the Senate. Its discussion, however, was
deferred from time to time on account of the two Ministerial crises
which supervened after its presentation; the project itself, for
that matter, has been already the subject of an accurate examination
by that high assembly, and there is room to hope that it will be
made a law at a not distant date, with such amendments as the two
Chambers will believe necessary to introduce.
Be good enough [etc.]
