811.00F/151
Memorandum by Mr. Joseph C. Green, of the Division of Western European Affairs, of a Conversation With the Italian Chargé (Diana)
Marquis Diana called at my office this afternoon at my request. I told him that the Department, with the cooperation of the Governor of the State of New York, had made a thorough investigation of the alleged participation of the Italian Vice Consuls, Umberto Carodossi and Augusto Castellani, in the riot which occurred on a train on Staten Island on July 4, 1932, during which Salvatore Arena was shot and killed. I told him further that the evidence before the Department shows that Vice Consul Carodossi was not a passenger on the train on which the riot occurred; that Vice Consul Castellani was on the train but not in the car in which the riot occurred, and that it contains no indication that either of them were implicated in that unfortunate incident. I explained to him that the Ambassador, before his departure, had requested that he be informed orally and informally of the results of our investigation, rather than in a note addressed to the Embassy, and that I had, therefore, asked him (Diana) to come in to receive this information. I told him that the Department had informed Congressman Hamilton Fish and the editor of La Stampa Libera of the results of the investigation. I asked him whether, in view of the publicity which had been given by the [Page 458] press to the accusations against the Vice Consuls, he wished the Department to issue a press release in regard to this matter, or whether he would prefer to consider the incident as closed. He replied that he thought it would be preferable to consider the incident as closed and I expressed my agreement with him on that point. He requested me to consider the matter as closed unless we receive some communication from him within the next ten days or two weeks in regard to it.