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Show PLAN IS ACCEPTED WITH RESERVATIONS PRESIDENT'S REPLY TO ALLIES' FIUME PLANS BOTH CONCILIATORY CONCIL-IATORY AND ADAMANTINE. l 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-Slavia undertake a settlement of the Adriatic question. lie says if Italy and .1 ugo-Slavia prefer pre-fer to abandon the so-called buffer state containing mi 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-Slnvia. 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says he cannot "possibly "pos-sibly join" in the premiers' suggestion that the memorandum settlement of December 9 be withdrawn; declares that "Albanian questions should not be included in the proposed joint discussions" dis-cussions" and reiterates that the United States cannot approve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 Ihe execution of the terms of the trealy 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 pre miers is now being considered by the allied supreme council at London. Meantime direct negotiations between Jugo-Slavia 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-Slavia peoples." peo-ples." Itefusing to agree to a withdrawal of the British-Freneh-Ainerican memorandum mem-orandum of December 0 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 agree-incut agree-incut had been reached. Reiterating That he would "gladly approve" a mutual agreement between Italy and Jugo-Slavia reached without prejudiee'to the interests of any third nation, the president declares be cannot can-not "possibly approve any plan which assigns to Jugo-Slavia in the northern districts of Albania territorial compensation compen-sation for what she is deprived of elsewhere." else-where." rtega riling 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 Slates, 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," be says, "will, of course, not expect the government of the United States to approve Ihe execution of the terms of the trealy of London, except in so far as that government may be convinced that those terms are intrinsically in-trinsically just and are consistent wilh the maintenance of peace and settled order ill southeastern Kurope." |