File No. 365.117/553
Ambassador Page to
the Secretary of State
No. 676
American Embassy,
Rome,
May 4, 1917.
Sir: Referring to the Department’s instruction
No. 498 of March 6, instructing the Embassy at the request of Mr. Joseph
Nicholas Orocchi’s relatives in America to ask the Italian Government
that he be assigned to a hospital or ambulance corps, I have now the
honor to report to have received to-day a reply from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs saying that the Ministry of War greatly regrets its
inability to comply with the wishes expressed. I enclose herewith
translation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ reply as well as the
translation of the note from the Ministry of War enclosed with the
Foreign Office’s reply.
I have [etc.]
[Inclosure 1—Translation]
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to the American
Embassy
Referring to note No. 1532 of April 2, the Royal Ministry of Foreign
Affairs is sorry to have to communicate to the Embassy of the United
States of America that the competent military authorities can not
comply with the desire expressed by the relatives of the soldier
Orocchi Giuseppe that he be transferred from the artillery to a
sanitary or hospital corps, the present laws in force preventing
such a change.
The Embassy will please find attached a copy of the note received
from the R. Ministry of War on the subject.
[Subinclosure—Translation]
The Ministry of War to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
This Ministry has not failed to examine the desire expressed by the
relatives of the artilleryman Orocchi Nicola to have him transferred
to the sanitary service.
In this regard, however, notwithstanding every willingness to comply
with the request transmitted by the American Embassy, this Ministry
is sorry not to be
[Page 842]
able to
provide for the desired change—being prevented by the laws now in
force—and an exception made in this instance would cause immediately
similar demands by others.
The note verbale of the American Embassy is
hereby returned.
