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Show WlliON ACCEPTS i WITH RESERVATIONS PRESIDENT'S REPLY TO ALLIES' FIUME PLANS BOTH CONCIL. IATORY AND ADAMANTINE. Expresses Earnest Hope That Allied Governments Will Not Decide on Course Which American Government Govern-ment Will be Unable to Follow. Washington. President Wilson accepts ac-cepts with reservations the proposal of the British and French premiers that Italy and Jugo-SIavia undertake-a undertake-a settlement of the Adriatic question. lie says if Italy and Jugo-SIavia prefer pre-fer ti abandon the so-called buffer state containing an overwhelming majority ma-jority of Jugo-Slavs and desire to limit the proposed free state to the corpus separatum of Finnic, placing the sovereignty sov-ereignty in the league of nations without with-out either Italian or Jugo-Slav control, the United States is willing to leave the determination of the common frontier fron-tier to Italy and Jugo-SIavia. The president says he cannot "possibly "pos-sibly join" in the premiers' suggestion that the memorandum settlement of December 9 be withdrawn ; declares that "Albanian questions should not be included in the proposed joint discussions" dis-cussions" and reiterates that the United States cannot approve of the execution of the terms of the treaty of London. Finally he expresses "the earnest hope that the allied governments will not find it necessary to decide on a course which the American government, govern-ment, in accordance with its reiterated reiterat-ed statement, will be unable to follow." The president's note to the premiers pre-miers is now being considered by the allied supreme council at London. Meantime direct negotiations between Jugo-SIavia and Italy are proceeding. Mr. Wilson begins his communication communica-tion by noting "with satisfaction" the "unaltered desire" of the premiers to' reach "an equitable solution in conformity con-formity alike with the principles of the peace conference and of the legitimate, legiti-mate, though conflicting, aspirations of the Italian and Jugo-SIavia peoples." peo-ples." RofneilllT tf flfrrPP tfl 51 Withdrawal of the British-French-American memorandum mem-orandum of December 9 as a preliminary prelimin-ary to the Italian-Jugo-Slav discussions, discus-sions, the president says the "memorandum "memo-randum represents deliberate and disinterested dis-interested judgment after months of earnest consideration" and that it "constitutes more than a mere exchange ex-change of views; it was a statement of principle and a recapitulation of the chief points upon which agreement agree-ment had been reached." Reiterating that he would "gladly approve" a mutual agreement between Italy and Jugo-SIavia reached without prejudice to the interests of any third nation, the president declares he cannot can-not "possibly approve any plan which assigns to Jugo-SIavia in the northern districts of Albania territorial compensation compen-sation for what she is deprived of elsewhere." else-where." Regarding the "character and applicability ap-plicability of the treaty of London," the president speaks with "less reserve re-serve on account of the frank observations observa-tions of" the premiers. He says he is unable to find in the "exigencies of military strategy" sufficient warrant for exercising secrecy with the United States, which "was being called upon for unlimited assistance and for untold un-told treasure" in helping to prosecute the war. "The French and British prime ministers," min-isters," he says, "will, of course, not expect the government of the United States to approve the execution of the terms of the treaty of I-ondon, except in so far as that government may be convinced that those terms are intrinsically in-trinsically just nnd are consistent with the maintenance of peace and settled order in southeastern Europe." |