Tasker H. Bliss Papers
The French Ambassador to the United States
(
Jusserand
) to the Secretary of
State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: As you are doubtless
aware, an agreement had been come to in London, on Dec. 3rd ult. between
the British,
[Page 211]
French and
Italian Govts. concerning the military occupation of Austria, as
foreseen in the Armistice. It had been decided that the Italian
commander in chief, and the French one (Gnl Franchet d’Esperey) would
settle together those matters, and in case their proposals differed,
would submit them to Marshal Foch who would place the question before
the interested Governments.
In accordance with the instructions I have received, I beg to include
herewith 3 notes: one from General Diaz, one from General Franchet
d’Esperey (each expressing his point of view), and one from Marshal
Foch, submitting the question to the interested Governments, and giving
his own opinion.
I should be much obliged to you for letting me know whether the Marshal’s
conclusions meet with the approval of the American Government. A prompt
answer would greatly oblige my Government.20
Believe me [etc.]
No. 15852 B. G. M.
Rome
, December 10, 1918.
To: His Excellency, Marshal Foch, Commander in Chief
of The Allied Armies in France.
Subject: Military occupation of the territories of
the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
In reply to your Excellency’s note, transmitted by Colonel Mourrier,
I am sending you, in the inclosed memoir, the views and proposals of
the Italian High Command on the subject of the line of demarcation
between the zones of action to be assigned respectively to the
Italian High Command and to the Army of the Orient, in the
territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
The officer who brings you this letter is qualified to furnish oral
amplification and any explanation that Your Excellency may
require.
I think that I should add that on December 7, 1918, this same
question of the demarcation between the zones of action was
presented to His Excellency the French Ambassador at Rome, M.
Barrère, and that, consequently, similar communications have been
made to your government with a view to arriving at a perfect
agreement on this question.
Le Général d’Armée
Chief of the Army
Staff
Diaz
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[Subenclosure]
Memoir
Military occupation of the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian
Monarchy beyond the limits determined by the armistice.
(1) It is proposed that the zones of action assigned respectively to
the Italian High Command and to the Army of the Orient be separated
by the following line:
The former frontier between the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of
Hungary, from the boundary of the province of Galicia (Beskides
Mountains) to Brod (on the Kulpa River, on the boundary between
Carniola and Croatia).
Line of the Treaty of London,23 leaving in the Italian zone of action the islands of Veglia
and Arba.
(2) In each of the two zones of action the garrisons to be
established in the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian
Monarchy will be formed, as a rule, by interallied contingents and
will be placed under the authority of the Italian High Command or of
the General commanding the Army of the Orient, according to whether
they are in the zone of action assigned to the Italian Command or to
the Command of the Army of the Orient.
(3) The interallied forces of occupation of the various centers will
be under the orders of an Italian commander in the zone of action
assigned to Italy, and under the orders of the commander belonging
to an allied army in the zone of action assigned to the Army of the
Orient.
The allied armies, represented each one in the different centers by a
contingent belonging to it, will attach to the garrison commanders
of the different centers a liaison officer of their nationality and
of a rank inferior to that of the garrison commander.
(4) The Italian High Command foresees that it will be necessary on
its part, and in the zone of action assigned to it, to occupy the
following points:
The city of Vienna (1 division), the city of Graz (1 division),
Lubiana (1 brigade), Linz and Salzburg (1 division for the two
centers).
(5) To confer on the different garrisons an interallied character, it
will be necessary that, in each center of occupation, the allied
Commands be represented by forces such that, in each center, the sum
of the allied forces shall not be superior to the force furnished by
the army to which the commander of the garrison belongs.
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No. 6257/3
Saloniki
, December 12, 1918.
From: General Franchet d’Esperey.
To: The Minister of War and the Marshal
Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies.
1. I propose, as the line of demarcation between the zones of action
of General Diaz and my own, the following line:
Fiume–Laibach–Marburg–Course of the Raab-Raab, all these cities to
be included in my zone.
Fiume, which is the only base of supplies possible for troops
operating in the region of Belgrade and to the north, must be placed
entirely under my authority, as well as the Fiume–Agram railway.
(2) With a view to avoiding the multiplication of local commands,
which complicates the exercise of authority, without always
conferring sufficient authority to settle conflicts, it seems to me
necessary to create, especially in the contested territories,
territorial commands directly under my authority, the command and
nature of which will guarantee a character of neutrality until the
decisions of the Peace Congress.
These commands might be determined as follows:
- (A)
- Territory of Fiume: from Voloczo [Volosca?], exclusive, to the north Dalmatian
frontier, exclusive, with the islands not assigned to Italy,
the eastern boundary being constituted by the watershed
between the Save basin and the Adriatic; the command should
be conferred preferably on an American general having at his
disposition:
- Tranié detachment: 1 battalion and 1 company of
French Engineers, 1 Serbian battalion (already in
place);
- Italian detachment: 2 battalions (the rest of the
Italian division at Fiume falling to the zone of
Diaz);
- English detachment: 1 general and 1 battalion (in
place);
- American detachment: If possible 2 battalions, one
of which is already in place.
- (B)
- The territories of Spalato and Ragusa would be limited on
the north by the line defined by clause 3 of the Diaz
armistice concerning the territories to be evacuated by the
Austrians; on the south by Castelnuovo inclusive; on the
west by the islands not assigned to Italy; on the east by
the former boundary of Dalmatia.
- Commander: English general to be appointed; seat, at
Spalato; having at his disposition:
- At Spalato: an Italian company, a French
detachment, as well as English and American
detachments to come from Italy, and a Serbian
company already in place. Local commander: English
general.
- At Ragusa: a Serbian battalion already in place, a
French Battalion.
- [C]
- Territories of Montenegro and Cattaro:
- Commander: seat, at Cattaro; General Venel, having at his
disposition, as soon as he arrives:
- (a)
- 2 Yougoslav battalions, already in the interior of
Montenegro.
- (b)
- International garrison of Cettigne: a French
company to come from Cattaro and an Italian company;
a Serbian company already in place. Local command:
French.
- (c)
- Garrison of Antivari: a French company, an Italian
battalion in place, an American company to come from
Cattaro. Local command: Italian.
- (d)
- Garrison of Cattaro: 1 French battalion to come
from Italy, a Serbian detachment, 1 Italian
battalion instead of 3. 1 American battalion already
in place. Local command: American.
All Italian garrisons in place, and not mentioned above,
to be suppressed, especially those of Neagus [Njeguši?] and Virpazar.
- (D)
- Territory of Scutari preserving its present form and
composition.
- (E)
- Yougoslav territory: bounded on the north by the Drave, on
the south and south-west by the former frontier between
Dalmatia and Montenegro, on the west by the line:
Laybach-Marburg. Command: Serbian. Troops already in
place.
- (F)
- Territory of Neusatz: between the Danube and the line
marked by: Baja–Theresiopel–Szegedin–the Maros–Nagylak, then
parallel to the Nagylak–Temesvar–Weisskirchen railway and 10
kilometers west of this railway. 2 Serbian divisions.
Command: Serbian.
- (G)
- Banat of Temesvar—Bounded on the north by [the] Maros,
south by the Danube, west by the line
Nagylak–Temesvar–Weisskirchen inclusive, east by the line
Lippa–Lugos–Karansebes–Mehadija–Orsova. Command: French,
seat at Temesvar, having at its disposition 1 brigade of
cavalry and 1 French division, exclusive of Roumanians and
Serbians, whose common claims on this territory necessitate
the presence of French troops to prevent conflict.
3. As I have already reported, I consider the occupation of
Buda-Pesth necessary. This occupation, to be limited to the city,
would be effected by a French division. This division being in
place, another French division, echelonned along the Danube from
Belgrade to Neusatz, would be liberated.
4. Concerning the territory of north Buda-Pesth, it is impossible,
considering the weakness of my forces, to send troops into this
region.
It is indispensable, nevertheless, with a view to basing my relations
with the present representatives of the power in Hungary on precise
orders, which the commission of control in Buda-Pesth insists on
having for the execution of your orders, to have definite
information on the limits of occupation of the territory of
Austria-Hungary by the Czecho-Slavs, and I beg you to send me this
information.
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No. 9690/0
General Headquarters of the Army
, December 22, 1918.
Note
In execution of the resolution of London of the 3rd of December last,
Generals Diaz and Franchet d’Esperey have, at the request of Marshal
Foch, formulated their propositions in regard to the occupation to
be carried out in Austria-Hungary.
The examination of these propositions gives occasion for the
following preliminary remarks:
a) Line of
Demarcation.
The question of the occupation of the entire extent of the territory
of the Double Monarchy is not to be thought of, therefore there
would be no advantage in dividing this territory into two great
regions, in which the Italian command and that of the Allied Armies
of the Orient could respectively act with entire liberty.
The tracing of a line of demarcation between these two commands, from
the northern frontier of Austria to the Adriatic, is not to be
considered.
b) Occupation of
Vienna.
By reason of the importance which this measure would have from a
political point of view, it seems that this can be decided, in case
of necessity, only after a special agreement among the Allied
governments.
c) Occupation of
Buda-Pesth.
On the other hand, the occupation of Buda-Pesth is necessary (but
doubtless not sufficient), if we wish to secure for ourselves the
means to make Hungary keep the terms of the armistice of November
3rd, especially insofar as concerns the Mackensen army.
It will not however be carried out until General [Franchet] d’Esperey
has at his disposition the necessary means.
These points being admitted, the only questions left open by the
comparison of the solutions presented by Generals Diaz and Franchet
d’Esperey are those relative to the occupation of Laybach and
Fiume.
Moreover, the experience of recent events demonstrates the necessity
of regularizing and precising the existing situation which results
from the application of Articles III and IV of the armistice of
November 3rd, as far as concerns the occupation of the Adriatic
coast.
These various questions are examined as follows:
d) The occupation of
Laybach can have no other object than the maintenance of
order.
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The present Serbian–Yougo-Slav garrison provides for this; the
intervention of the Italians could only give rise to conflict. There
is therefore every reason for maintaining the status quo.
e) Occupation of
Fiume—To remove all cause of conflict, the surest solution
would be to install at Fiume a regime of strict neutrality, by
organizing there, for example, an interallied occupation, under the
orders of an American general, who would be directly responsible to
the Higher Council of War.
Such a solution would be necessary as a last resort, if it seemed to
be impossible to conciliate the conflicting interests.
In the present situation, it seems preferable to try to establish
harmony by the adoption of a definite scheme of action based on the
following points:
- —the occupation of Fiume will be Italian and will be
responsible to General Diaz.
- —At the same time, there will be constituted, for the
needs of the Allied Armies of the Orient, an autonomous
base, directly responsible to General [Franchet] d’Esperey,
and the Commander of which will be a French general.
- —The French general appointed shall be put into
possession, by the Italian command, of the part of the port,
installation and equipment necessary for the organization
and functioning of the base, as well as of a zone of
cantonment sufficient for the establishment near by of a
Franco-Serbian detachment assigned to this base.
- Moreover, the General Commander-in-Chief of the Allied
Armies of the Orient will have exclusive control of the
Fiume–Agram–Semlin railway and will regulate its
operation.
f) The Adriatic
coast—
To avoid all conflict in the future, it would be necessary to
provide:
- 1
- —That the occupation of the territories bounded by article
III of the armistice, on the Italian border as well as upon
the Adriatic, and the occupation of Albania (without
Scutari) shall remain confided to the Italian
command.
- 2
- —That, on the other hand, concerning the territories of
the Adriatic coast not included above, and exclusive of the
territory of Fiume, the occupation shall depend on the
General Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the Orient, to
whose duty it will fall definitely to fix the conditions of
the occupation (composition of the interallied garrisons and
the division of the local commands among the allies), in
such a way as to establish with entire impartiality a regime
of order and neutrality.
These are the propositions which Marshal Foch thinks should be
submitted to the decision of the allied governments.
