File No. 763.72/6204
The Greek Legation to the Department of State
The Royal Legation of Greece has the honor of bringing to the attention of the Department of State the following despatch which it is instructed to communicate:
I request you to discuss the following with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to leave with him a written note concerning it:
At the time of his installation at Athens, Monsieur Venizelos proposed to the Italian Minister that an effort be made to clear [Page 143] up outstanding affairs between the two countries by a direct understanding. Since no strategic consideration appeared to justify the military occupation of Epirus, the President of the Council asked for its evacuation, adding that he was exerting himself at the same time to obtain the evacuation by the other Allies of all Greek territory outside the zones of operations. This point of view was accepted by the Italian Minister, who asked only that the Italian troops should retain, even after the evacuation of Epirus, the use of the section of the road Santi Quaranta Corytza traversing annexed territory. Monsieur Venizelos agreed. The Italian Government ratified the principle of this arrangement, adding that its execution would take place within a month, but it asked, besides the military occupation of the section of road claimed by its Minister, the occupation of the enclave formed by this road and the boundaries of Northern Epirus fixed by the protocol of Florence. Monsieur Venizelos observed that such a request was hardly justified, since Greece, being the ally of Italy, could perfectly well guard with her own resources the enclave commanded by the road of which the Italians retained the use. But in order to give further evidence of his good will, he agreed that the enclave should remain under Italian occupation provided the Greek civil administration were reestablished therein. The Italian Minister replied that he was willing to come to an agreement on that basis but that, since a doubt had occurred to Monsieur Venizelos, he ought to refer it to Rome. The reply of his Government, however, was not satisfactory. Invoking the opinion of its military authorities in its defense, it declared that it was unable to admit the reestablishment of the Greek administration in the enclave. Monsieur Venizelos remarked that this refusal was in no way justified, and the Italian Minister offered to try to persuade his Government. Yesterday he informed the President of the Council that his Government’s refusal was final. He gave no other explanation than the unjustified opinion of the Italian military authorities. He merely offered to furnish the most formal assurances that the enclave would be restored to Greece at the end of the war.
Monsieur Venizelos is obliged to declare that, to his great regret, he finds it impossible to yield, not only because he is dealing with an unjustified and inexplicable demand, but also and especially because he would be unable to defend its acceptance in the Chamber, where public opinion might with good reason object that this Government has no guarantee that the powers would take the interests of Greece into consideration at the end of the war, since, in an affair like that of the enclave of Epirus in which our rights are so clear, one of the powers, although allied with us, declines to place the least confidence in us.
Under these conditions, says Monsieur Venizelos, the Greek Government must appeal to the arbitration of the other Allies in order to clear up this difficulty, which it regrets not being able to solve directly with Italy. Count Bosdari understands quite well that it is not a question of a complaint against his country, and has agreed to try once more to persuade his Government. In explaining the foregoing to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I request you to add that [Page 144] the Greek Government is obliged to give the closest consideration to this affair, for its situation before the Chamber would be rendered the more difficult by the fact that Greek public opinion has cause to be very sensitive on this point. In fact, at the time of the conference of Florence, Italy did everything in her power to procure the inclusion in southern Albania of the enclave in question, the Hellenic character of which is incontestable. The present insistence of the Italian Government upon excluding our administration from it is clearly illuminated by the recollection of Italy’s manoeuvres and cannot but inspire the most legitimate apprehensions.
Obliged by the failure of a direct understanding with Italy to have recourse to the good offices of the other powers, the Greek Government does not limit itself to claiming the reinstallation of its authorities in the enclave, but demands the military occupation as well. It had agreed to the maintenance of the Italian military occupation, although unjustified in relation to a friendly and allied Greece, in order to give further evidence of its good will and to arrive at a friendly arrangement with Italy. But from the time that such an arrangement was ruled out by Italian intransigence, there was no longer any reason for consenting to the maintenance of foreign military occupation in the enclave. As in the case of our other means of communication, the Royal Government is ready to allow Italy, as it does and will continue to do to the other Allies, the free use of the section of road commanding the Epirote enclave; but that concession, like the other facilities granted to the Allies, must not diminish the exercise of our sovereignty. We undertake by our own means to guarantee the safety of the roads and their use by the Allies.
You will have the goodness to report on your interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Politis, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
[Received July 24.]