Paris Peace Conf.
184.011102/154
Mr. Albert
Halstead to the Commission to
Negotiate Peace
No. 329
Vienna, July 16, 1919.
[Received July
21.]
Subject: Conversation with Under State Secretary for
Foreign Affairs in regard Tyrolean frontier.
Sirs: I have the honor to inform the
Commission that the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs von Pflügl
called on me this morning in regard to the boundary between Tyrol
and Italy. Herr von Pflügl is a Tyrolean, and was requested by the
Landesregierung of Tyrol to make a final appeal to “President Wilson
or the Government of the United States” for a bettering of the
boundary between Italy and Tyrol. I informed Secretary von Pflügl
that I would take pleasure in communicating this appeal, which was a
verbal one, to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace. This
appeal is based on the belief which is so prevalent in
German-Austria that the United States is endeavoring to promote a
just peace. This belief in the disinterestedness
[Page 542]
of the United States and the hope that
this belief has engendered is one of the striking features of the
situation in German-Austria.
I am attaching hereto a memorandum of the conversation with Herr von
Pflügl, and in that connection would say that amongst other things
he said that the boundary which they understood had been fixed
between Tyrol and Italy gave Italy more Tyrolean territory than was
provided for in the secret Treaty of London between Italy, Great
Britain and France.13 In
the circumstances I asked him to furnish me a map showing wherein
the Treaty of London was exceeded. The enclosed map and
memorandum14 show Herr von Pflügl’s views as to the
difference, but as he has not seen the Treaty of London there may be
some errors.
I have [etc.]
P. S. July 17,
1919.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Cunningham, the British
representative here, informs me today that Secretary Bauer
through one of the Under Secretaries has made a last appeal to
him for a rectification of the Tyrolean border and that he wrote
a dispatch to his government stating the contents of that
appeal.
[Enclosure]
Memorandum
The following is a memorandum of a conversation between Herr von
Pflügl, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of German
Austria, and myself, which took place in my office on the
morning of July 16th, and which, while referring directly to the
question of the boundary between Tyrol and Italy entered into
other features of the political situation:
Herr von Pflügl stated to me in German, there being no one else
present, that he had been requested by the Landesregierung
(Government of the Province of Tyrol) to make a final appeal to
President Wilson or the government of the United States for a
rectification of the proposed boundary between Italy and Tyrol
which took away from Tyrol not only territory which was of
Italian nationality but a large section of other territory which
was inhabited wholly by people of the German race and which
formed a most valuable part of the Tyrol. He expressed the hope
that at the last moment the United States
[Page 543]
might be able to secure for Tyrol
what the Tyrolese regarded as more [mere?] justice and prevent a separation of their brothers
and of a most important section of territory from the Province
of Tyrol. I naturally gave no expression of opinion on the
subject.
Herr von Pflügl called my attention to the character of the
Tyroleans, to their love of their land and of their race, and
declared that incorporation of a large population of German
speaking people in Italy would form an “irredenta” of a most
dangerous kind. He said that the Italians told him, and as a
citizen of Tyrol he had discussed the subject with them
frequently, that for the moment it would be impossible for them
to do anything; but that after the treaty was signed Italy and
German-Austria could negotiate together and reach some
understanding that would be in the interests of both. Herr von
Pflügl declared that promises to change an accomplished fact
were not convincing and expressed the belief that when Italy
once had the separated part of Tyrol in her possession she would
keep it in her pocket just as an ordinary individual would keep
money which he had procured even though promising to consider
some arrangement in regard to it. The cutting off of this large
territory from Tyrol, Herr von Pflügl said, would leave only a
corridor and would increase the tendency of the Tyrolese to look
to Germany as the only country to which they could unite. This
remark was made with full understanding of the provisions of
Section LXXX of the Versailles Treaty,15
providing for the independence of German-Austria and indicated
Herr von Pflügl’s belief in the irresistibility of a natural
development.
Herr von Pflügl sought to impress me with the great importance of
preventing the acquisition of German speaking villages and
sections of Tyrol by the Italians. He declared that the Italians
could not be thinking of the future in assuming their present
attitude and could not realise that their well-being depended
upon close and friendly relations with German-Austria,
particularly as “today or tomorrow (heute oder
morgen)” war would come between Italy and Jugo-Slavia.
In such an event friendly relations with German-Austria, and
particularly with the Tyrol, were most important. His own idea,
he declared, was a block consisting of Italy, German-Austria and
Germany, with the United States as a friendly looker-on.
Pointing to the map he showed that Tyrol was the “bridge (Brücke)” between Italy and Germany and
pointed out that with Tyrol to the north unfriendly and the
Jugo-Slavs joined to the rest of German-Austria, the position of
Italy in a military sense was very much in danger. He emphasised
the future possibilities of Jugo-Slavia with its present
population of twelve to fourteen millions and its capacity for
maintaining a population of thirty millions.
