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  4. Document 54

868.012/15

The Minister in Greece (Skinner) to the Secretary of State

Athens, March 7, 1928.
[Received March 22.]
No. 497

Sir: A new class of citizenship case has recently been manifesting itself, to which I have the honor to invite the attention of the Department.

It is the case of the Orthodox Greek born in the Ottoman domain, who left that domain after the 12th day of October, 1912, proceeding to the United States where he failed to naturalize himself prior to the 30th of January, 1923, the date of the signature of the Exchange of Populations Agreement.60 Under articles III and VII of the Agreement in question, these persons acquire Greek nationality.

I quote:

  • Article III—“The Greeks and Moslems who have already, and since the 12th day of October, 1912, left the territories, the Greek and Turkish inhabitants of which are to be respectively exchanged, shall be considered as included in the exchange provided for in Article I.”
  • Article VII—“The emigrants will lose the nationality of the country which they are leaving and will acquire the nationality of the country of their destination upon their arrival in the territory of the latter country.”

“Such emigrants as have already left one or other of the two countries and have not yet acquired their new nationality, shall acquire that nationality on the date of the signature of the present Convention.”

The competent official of the Foreign Office avers that he is using all his skill with the military with a view to saving several individuals in the class referred to from the performance of service in the Greek Army, but I take it that the passport authorities at home will be glad to warn such persons of the danger in which they place themselves if they come to this country.

I have [etc.]

Robert P. Skinner
  1. League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. xxxii, p. 75.↩