711.654/66
The Ambassador in Italy (Long) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 25.]
Sir: With reference to the Department’s telegraphic instruction No. 36 of July 14, 5 p.m., and to my despatch No. 95 of July 21, 1933,9 with regard to the proposed naturalization convention, I have the honor to inform the Department that I saw Mr. Suvich, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, today and broached again the subject of the treaty. He said they had been so busy with Austrian and other affairs that they had not as yet had time but that within the next two weeks he would collect the data and give the matter sufficient thought to formulate in his mind a policy in regard to procedure. He said that it would be easier now than it had been heretofore because Signor Mussolini had assumed the post of Minister of War whereas the official who formerly held that post was indisposed to agree to some items which were essential in order that Italy might pass legislation which would support the treaty. He said that the Senate of Italy would meet in December and that the law upon which the treaty would be based could not be passed before it met; that he hoped to have the law passed early in that session and to have the text of the treaty ready by December.
I told Mr. Suvich that the United States Congress would meet in December and would be in session for some months and that I hoped that we would be able to agree upon the text so that it might be submitted to my Government during the coming session of the Senate.
[Page 580]Mr. Suvich said that his colleagues in the Government were not satisfied with the text as proposed by the United States and desired to make a fresh start and that he himself was undetermined as to whether the Italian Government should propose a text to us or whether he and I should work out a text together.
Respectfully yours,
- Latter not printed.↩