Paris Peace Conf. 184.01102/266
Lieutenant Le Roy King to Professor A. C. Coolidge 36
Subject: General situation.
1. I had a very satisfactory talk with Col. Miles in Fiume. It was of great value to me as I can now visualize the situation there and know about what is going on. I shall not write anything about Fiume, as I know Col. Miles is keeping you fully informed.
2. Relations between the French and Yougoslavs at Agram.
The French here are becoming very unpopular; the combination of their occupation of the country and the fact that they are believed to have a rapprochement in policy with Italy is causing this. Also rumors from Paris that things are going badly there for Yougoslavia makes the people here think that the French are not proving themselves to be the friends the Yougoslavs expected. The French officier de renseignements here tells me that while he personally dislikes the Italians, he knows that France must hold with Italy as against Germany, that France cannot look to England or America in the future for protection against Germany. He says that his position here and that of the French in general is increasingly difficult, that the Serbians are trying to secure all power in Yougoslavia, and that they are very jealous of the French occupation of the country. He even said that the Serbs in Agram were deliberately stirring up public opinion against the French.
3. French commerce in Yougoslavia.
There are indications that the French are working to establish a commercial foothold in Yougoslavia. This is natural, considering the great opportunity they have owing to their present occupation, which, although co-equal with and parallel to that of the Serbian Army, gives them great power here, as they control the railroads. I hear the French are making inquiries about the future commercial needs of the country, what manufactured articles are now, and will be in demand etc. A large number of educated Croatians speak French already, and German is very much out of fashion, although nearly everyone knows it. The French publishing house, Hachette et Cie. has established an agency at Fiume.
4. Anti Italian feeling in Agram.
On Saturday evening a report was published here that the Italians had declared that they were about to annex Fiume and would take it [Page 490] over in a few days. Though this report was unofficial and has since been declared so by the Government at Belgrade, it caused great excitement in Agram, which excitement is still continuing to a less extent, although the Government is doing everything possible to calm the people and has succeeded very well. When the report was first published the theatres and cafes were all closed as a sign of mourning (although I believe this may have been partly a precautionary measure by city officials), and crowds, chiefly students, paraded about the streets, demonstrating against Italy. There were some cries of “a bas la France” and “The Entente is a swindle”. The whole manifestation was without disorder and from what I learned from witnesses, such as Major Temperley (I was not in Agram myself that night) visible signs of the excitement soon disappeared. There is still, however, a strong undercurrent excitement; people are very depressed, fear the worst, not only for Fiume, but for Dalmatia and Istria and would probably make another demonstration if more bad news or even rumors came. There is some talk going about with reference to mobilising the Yougoslav forces against Italy, but I am convinced it is only the hotheads who even consider this. The more balanced people think that a clash with Italy is inevitable in the future if Italy obtained Dalmatia and Fiume. Another rumor to the effect that Fiume is to be internationalized seems to cause as much bitterness as the report that Italy is to have it. I cannot insist too strongly on the temperamental nature of the Croatians, how they become elated one day and depressed the next at very slight things, but the fact is clear that at the time of writing they are very discouraged. They now look upon America as their last hope and trust that Mr. Wilson’s arrival in Paris will help their cause, but they are very impatient, particularly in view of what they think is Italy’s unrestricted grabbing. While the report mentioned above concerning Italy’s being about to take Fiume has been declared unofficial, it has not yet been denied (March 19). A report in the paper on March 19 that Mr. Wilson is going to take up personally the frontier questions between Italy and Yougoslavia had a good effect, and the excitement on this point is very much less. Contradictory reports of all kinds are published in the newspapers and it is difficult to trace their origin. The communications between Zagreb and Western Europe seem to be very bad.
5. I think that the report that the Italians were about to take Fiume was probably sent out by them, as a “ballon d’essai”.
Respectfully yours,
- Transmitted to the Commission by Professor Coolidge under covering letter No. 186, April 3; received April 7.↩