File No. 763.72/10103
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Italy ( Page)
1363. Your 1635, May 18. The Secretary of State has made public the following announcement:1 [Page 809]
The Secretary of State desires to announce that the proceedings of the Congress of Oppressed Races of Austria-Hungary, which was held in Rome in April, have been followed with great interest by the Government of the United States, and that the nationalistic aspirations of the Czecho-Slovaks and Jugo-Slavs for freedom have the earnest sympathy of this Government.
Explain confidentially and orally to the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs that it was believed that this announcement would result in benefit both to the Czecho-Slovaks and Jugo-Slavs, to the cause of the Entente in general and to that of Italy in particular, since it was thought such an announcement would give great encouragement to the Czecho-Slovaks and Jugo-Slavs in the United States on their support of the United States in this war, would encourage and greatly increase enlistments in this country for the Czecho-Slav Legion now acting in Italy with Italian Army, and would encourage the Czecho-Slovaks and Jugo-Slavs in Austria in their efforts to hamper the Austrian military operations against Italy.
- The public statement was telegraphed on the same date, to the diplomatic representatives in Bulgaria, China, Denmark (No. 888), Great Britain (No. 7987), France (No. 4241), Greece (No. 486), Japan, the Netherlands (No. 1315), Norway (No. 336), Persia (No. 59), Rumania (No. 199), Russia (No. 145), Spain (No. 1175), Sweden (No. 805), and Switzerland (No. 998), and at Corfu [for Serbia], for communication to the respective governments; also sent to the Diplomatic Agents at Cairo and Tangier, the Consul General at Saloniki, and the Consul at Moscow.↩