File No. 763.72114/285
The Ambassador in Austria-Hungary ( Penfield ) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 12, 4.10 p. m. ]
545. Your 546, 1st. Austro-Hungarian Government anxious arrangements be immediately reached with Russian Government for [Page 1011] inspection places where subjects of both countries are detained on basis Anglo-German arrangement. Any reasonable modifications would be accepted. Immediate institution relief measures vitally important. Austro-Hungarian Government states that since efforts to obtain privileges for relief [of] their civil subjects in Russia similar [to] those granted since beginning of war to Spanish Embassy and American consuls here for inspection and relief Russian civil as well as military prisoners have as yet proved unsuccessful as far as civilians in Russia are concerned, they greatly regret they find themselves forced to declare that should they not be informed by April 10 that inspection Austro-Hungarian civilians by members of American Embassy Petrograd was granted, they will not any longer let Russian civilians in the Monarchy be visited and reserve [to] themselves to take, regarding their treatment, quite different measures than heretofore.