File No. 865.111/17
No. 496
American Embassy,
Rome,
May 17, 1916.
I was much gratified to learn from the Department’s telegram that no
other belligerent country, including those which do not possess
naturalization treaties with the United States, is making use of this
means to secure the return for military duty of their former citizens,
and I consider this argument should have great weight with the Italian
Government.
I am following up the matter personally at the Foreign Office and believe
that these obnoxious measures will be, if not actually withdrawn
officially, at least not enforced in the case of wives and children
bearing valid American passports.
[Inclosure]
Chargé Jay to the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
American Embassy,
Rome,
May 16, 1916.
Excellency: I have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s note of the 3d instant,
in reply to this Embassy’s note of February 17, in which the
Ambassador drew attention to the fact that the wives and children of
naturalized American citizens of Italian origin wishing to join
their husbands and fathers in the United States found themselves
prevented from so doing because of obstructions placed in the way of
their departure from the Kingdom by the military authorities.
Your excellency, after recapitulating certain special cases in which
permission to leave Italy had been granted, states:
The last named, Sciulli Vincenza, was, however, definitely
refused a passport, it having been ascertained that it was
her intention to join her husband, Nicola de Julus, whose
class and category had already been called to arms.
The Royal Government, as a matter of fact does not consider
it opportune to issue passports to go abroad to the families
of those whose classes or categories have already been under
arms, or which are liable to be called in the near
future.
The Embassy had hoped, as had been shown in Mr. Page’s previous
communications on this subject, that the detention in Italy of the
wives and children of naturalized American citizens whose husbands
and fathers were considered by the Royal authorities to be liable
for military service was due to possible over-zeal on the part of
the local authorities and not to the direct orders of the Royal
Government.
I am now under telegraphic instructions from my Government to draw
special attention to the fact that Italy is the only country, even
at the present time of war, which is holding the wives and children
of naturalized American citizens in order to induce the latter to
return to Italy for military service, and I am to impress upon your
excellency that the Government of the United States earnestly
desires that the wives and children of naturalized American citizens
now in Italy be permitted to return freely to the United States.
As the governments of none of the other belligerent nations,
including those which, like Italy, do not possess naturalization
treaties with the United States, are detaining the wives and
children of naturalized American citzens who have failed to return
for military service to the country of their origin; and in view of
the great importance attached to this question by my Government, I
earnestly hope that your excellency will cause suitable instructions
to be given to the local authorities permitting the unrestricted
departure of all women and children of this class who may be
furnished with valid American passports.
I avail [etc.]
