File No. 865.012/3A
The Secretary of State to Ambassador Page
Washington, March 23, 1916.
Sir: With reference to the cases of persons born in this country of Italian parents and held in Italy for military service, such as the case of Ghiloni, the Department’s attention is called to Article 7 [Page 406] of the Italian law on citizenship promulgated June 30, 1912, reading as follows:
Except in the case of special provisions to be stipulated by international treaties, an Italian citizen born and residing in a foreign nation, which considers him to be a citizen of its own, retains still Italian citizenship, but he may abandon it when he becomes of age.
Please ask the Italian Government whether this provision is not applicable to persons born in this country of Italian parents, provided such persons were domiciled in this country upon attaining their majority, still maintain such domicile and evidently elected American rather than Italian nationality. You will also ask to be informed as to what evidence will satisfy the Italian authorities of abandonment of Italian nationality on the part of persons born in the United States of Italian parents. I am [etc.]