875.01/279: Telegram The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Albania (Hart) [Paraphrase] WASHINGTON, September 5, 1928-6 p. m. 30. Your telegram No. 56 received September 4. The Department is in receipt of a note dated Boston, September 3, from the Albanian Minister at Washington, Faik Konitza, as follows: 5 "Acting on instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Tirana, I have the honor to bring to your knowledge that the Constitutional Convention has unanimously voted the restoration of the monarchy in Albania and subsequently has elected, on September the 1st, 1928, President Zogu as King of the Albanians." You will please ascertain and cable a report of the action so far taken or planned by the Governments of your colleagues in connection with recognizing the new regime in Albania. CLARK 875.01/280: Telegram The Minister in Albania (Hart) to the Secretary of State [Paraphrase] TIRANA, September 6, 1928-11 a. m. [Received 8 p. m.] 5 58. The Albanian Minister for Foreign Affairs requests the recognition of the Kingdom of Albania in a note which extends the " "assurance that the Government of His Majesty is solicitous to develop the good relation existing between the two countries and that we will observe in letter and spirit the treaties which have been signed with other states under the Republic. Furthermore the entire efforts of the Royal Government will have as its aim the making of the new Kingdom a factor in the peace of the Balkans. The Government of His Majesty hopes that Your Excellency will have the kindness to employ with his Government all of his influence to obtain new letters accrediting him to His Majesty." As the change of regime in Albania is by statute, no question of treaty observance is involved. I am confident that the United States will continue to have the good intentions of the new government as of the former one. Recognition has been granted by Italy, Greece, and Hungary, other Governments not having responded as yet. The King's title is Zog (not Zogu) I. Quotation not paraphrased. HART 875.91/280: Telegram The Secretary of State to the Minister in Albania (Hart) WASHINGTON, September 12, 1928–5 p. m. 35. Your No. 58, September 6, 11 a. m., and Department's 30, September 5, 6 p. m. Upon receipt of this telegram please address a note in the following terms to the Minister for Foreign Affairs: "My Government has taken note of the action of the Constituent Assembly of Albania in changing the form of the government of Albania to that of a constitutional monarchy and in proclaiming President Ahmed Zogu, Zog First, King of the Albanians.' I now take pleasure in informing Your Excellency, under instructions from my Government, that the Government of the United States extends recognition to the Kingdom of Albania, it being understood that the exchange of notes of June 22, 1922, between the United States and Albania and the provisions of Albanian law enacted in pursuance therewith will continue in force." The following telegram is being sent today by the President to the King of the Albanians: "It is with pleasure that I extend to Your Majesty and to the people of Albania congratulations on the occasion of your accession to the throne. The American people join with me in expressing best wishes for Your Majesty's good health and happiness and for the prosperity of Albania." The Department will communicate with you later concerning new letters of credence. KELLOGG 875.001Zog/19: Telegram King Zog to President Coolidge [Translation] TIRANA, September 14, 1928—1 p. m.3 Deeply moved by the congratulations and the good wishes Your Excellency has so kindly expressed on the occasion of my accession to the throne of Albania, I hasten to present to you the assurance of my most profound gratitude for this act of cordial friendship toward my person and for the Albanian people. On this occasion it is a pleasure for me to convey to you an expression of the sentiments of gratitude which my people continue to cherish toward the noble people of the United States for the humane Date of exchange of notes corrected to read “June 25, 1922,” by Department's telegram No. 36, Sept. 13, 6 p. m. The notes are not printed; but see despatch No. 274, June 2, 1924, from the Minister in Albania, Foreign Relations, 1924, vol. I, p. 316. Date of receipt by the Department not indicated; released to the press on Sept. 20, 1928. assistance which they gave through the medium of the American Red Cross to my people at a critical time. Furthermore, the Albanian people are most grateful for the generous hospitality which the great Republic of the United States so liberally extends to the Albanians in the United States, thus bestowing upon them the benefits of American culture and welfare. Please accept, Excellency, my most sincere good wishes for your happiness and for the greater prosperity of the noble people of the United States. ZOG 875.01/290 The Minister in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Prince) to the Secretary of State No. 493 BELGRADE, September 20, 1928. SIR: I have the honor to report, in connection with the recent recognition by the United States of America of Ahmed Beg Zogu as King of the Albanians, that Mr. Štylla, the Albanian Chargé d'Affaires at Belgrade, called upon me yesterday to express his appreciation of this action on the part of our country. Mr. Stylla emphasized that fact that the United States was the first great power, after Italy, to recognize his new sovereign. He stated that the recognition of the Albanian Kingdom by Italy (a foregone conclusion), Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece was of great importance to the new regime, but that the United States by its very friendly action had gone far toward establishing King Zogu's Government in the eyes of the world. Mr. Štylla also expressed his gratification at the recognition of his King by Yugoslavia, which followed so closely upon the action of the United States in this matter, that he expressed his belief that there must be some connection between them. I assured him, however, that the United States had had no connection with nor had taken any part in persuading Yugoslavia to take the step of acknowledging the sovereignty of King Zogu. Mr. Stylla then smilingly said, "At least the American example no doubt stimulated Yugoslavia to recognize my King, without awaiting the action of France and England as Mr. Šumenković, the Acting Foreign Minister, sent word to me he would be obliged to do." It is interesting to note that, although Mr. Šumenković had told me in a recent interview (See the Legation's despatch No. 488 of September 8, 1928) that he would await the action of France and England before recognizing the new regime at Tirana, he smilingly said to me yesterday, "We decided not to be dependent upon any other 'Not printed. nation's action in this matter, because we know that, if we wish to maintain good relations with Italy, we must recognize the new Albanian Kingdom sooner or later. Our present act we look upon as a friendly gesture to Italy, whom we have no desire to offend." I have [etc.] JOHN DYNELEY PRINCE 875.01/291 The Minister in Albania (Hart) to the Secretary of State TIRANA, September 27, 1928. SIR: I have the honor to report that in the order named Italy, Greece, Hungary, Uruguay, the United States, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, France and Great Britain have recognized the Albanian Kingdom. After recognition by Uruguay a silence reigned for several days which became exceedingly oppressive to King Zog and his advisers. This spell was broken by the receipt on September 13, of President Coolidge's telegram of felicitation. The King sent at once to the Foreign Office for a translator and when the telegram was read to him all of official Tirana began to buzz. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, Ilias Vrioni, Minister for Foreign Affairs, asked an appointment and came to see me a half hour later, exhibiting the original telegram. His face was lighted and he was in ecstasies. He handed me the telegram to read, as I had to confess that I had received no word from Washington. With all of his joy there was an underlying malice against Great Britain, France and Yugoslavia. He intimated That the American recognition would force the other powers to take notice. Then, as when I presented the formal note of recognition on September 15, he said this was the crowning diplomatic triumph of the new government. The recognition of Italy he said had no special significance because Italy is an ally of Albania, and while Albania was pleased to have the acknowledgement of Greece and Hungary, their recognition failed to impress the world. "But", he continued, "when the greatest government on earth recognizes, the others will realize that it is time for them to find out what they are going to do." Vrioni saw to it that everybody in official life in Tirana heard the news of President Coolidge's telegram before the night was over and the following morning representatives of most of the governments which had not recognized came early to see me and verify the report. It seemed to me that there was an atmosphere of gloom hovering over them because they believed that it might upset the consultations which they had heard were going on between Paris, London and Belgrade. The Yugoslav government recognized on the same day that I delivered the formal note, and it is my opinion that immediately after American recognition the British and French governments suggested that Belgrade act favorably at once and without reservations. My French and British colleagues made no effort to veil the fact that their governments were studying the question of recognition jointly and that the stumbling block up to that time had been the title voted to the new monarch, "King of the Albanians." While Great Britain and France recognized on September 21, it is my conviction that, if they did not make representations to the Royal Albanian Government, they agreed upon a joint policy to be pursued in the event that any new pacts with Italy are brought to light which threaten to cause another ruction in the Balkans. And I also can say most assuredly that even Italy had become just a little worried over the silence of Great Britain and France. And no doubt was left in my mind that the Italian Legation here was more than gratified when the United States recognized. A demonstration was ordered to be held in front of the Legation on the evening of September 15. I invited the multitude to come into the Legation court. There were about 1,500 persons, headed by the Government's military band. The band first played the American and then the Albanian anthem and gave vociferous applause at which juncture nothing was left for me to do but make a speech, which I had not intended doing. The Department will not receive a copy of the speech, which was entirely impromptu, but let it suffice to say that I said nothing that would do any harm. While it is the usual course for many foreigners, official and otherwise, when speaking to the people of this country, to treat the Albanians as children, I have never done that. My policy adopted at the beginning of my career here was followed once again. I assumed that I was facing an assemblage of several hundred intellectual Babe Ruths and gave everyone of them a base on balls. An Albanian who is a graduate of the American Junior Red Cross School responded in genuine oratory. The Constituent Assembly, meeting at irregular intervals, continues the work of revamping the Constitution. The Statute creating the monarchy, which is about the only finished product of the Assembly, is made an enclosure herewith.10 I quote here the reply of the Royal Government to my formal note of recognition: Mr. Minister: I have had the honor to receive your letter of the 14th instant by which Your Excellency kindly informed me that the government of 10 Not printed. |