702.6511/1353
The Italian Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
The contents of the note of the Department of State of March 5, 1941, addressed to the Italian Embassy, has been communicated to Rome and a reply will be conveyed to the Department as soon as the Embassy will be in a position to do so.
The Italian Embassy feels, however, that it should point out in the meantime that:
1) The request of the Italian Government that foreign consulates established south of Rome should be moved as far north as Rome or farther north, has been made, as far as the Embassy knows, to every foreign consular office and is connected with the state of war, as the Embassy has already informed the Department of State.
2) The request now made by the United States Government that the Italian consular offices at Newark, New Jersey, and Detroit, Michigan, should be closed and that the Italian personnel be withdrawn from these places, seems instead to have a different character because it appears to affect only Italian consular offices, apart from the fact that the United States are not in a state of war.
Concerning the request that all the Italian officials in the United States “will confine their movements to those areas in which they exercise recognized duties of their respective offices”, the Italian Embassy should like to receive clarification on the following points:
- a)
- Does the request mean that the Ambassador will not be able any longer to call to Washington such Italian officials in order to confer with them, which is also part of his and their duties?
- b)
- Does the request of the Department of State imply that the Embassy will no longer be able to send or receive special couriers carrying official mail to and from the Italian consular offices in the United States?
- c)
- The statement that the Department’s request does not include the personnel of the Italian Embassy in Washington whose names [Page 797] appear in the Diplomatic List may it be constructed [construed?] as covering also the children and servants of these officials?
- d)
- Does the request of the Department of State apply also to the employees of this Embassy and of the Italian consular offices who are American citizens?
- e)
- In those cases in which the request of the Department of State applies, how may the Italian officials involved get permission, in case of need, in order to be able to leave the areas in which they are to be confined?