states simultaneously, to the Government of the United States of America and of Great Britain. (Signed) BURIAN. Be pleased to accept, Excellency, the assurance of my most distinguished consideration. His Excellency, MR. ROBERT LANSING, (Signed) W. A. F. EKENGREN. SIR: Secretary of State of the United States, etc., etc., etc. The Secretary of State to the Minister of Sweden." DEPARTMENT OF STATE, September 17, 1918. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note, dated September 16th, communicating to me a note from the Imperial Government of Austria-Hungary, containing a proposal to the governments of all the belligerent states to send delegates to a confidential and unbinding discussion on the basic principles for the conclusion of peace. Furthermore, it is proposed that the delegates would be charged to make known to one another the conception of their governments regarding these principles and to receive analogous communications, as well as to request and give frank and candid explanations on all those points which need to be precisely defined. In reply I beg to say that the substance of your communication has been submitted to the President, who now directs me to inform you that the Government of the United States feels that there is only one reply which it can make to the suggestion of the Imperial AustroHungarian Government. It has repeatedly and with entire candor stated the terms upon which the United States would consider peace and can and will entertain no proposal for a conference upon a matter concerning which it has made its position and purpose so plain. Accept, Sir, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration. (Signed) ROBERT LANSING. MR. W. A. F. EKENGREN, In Charge of Austro-Hungarian Interests. 2 Official U. S. Bulletin, September 17, 1918. Minister of Sweden to the Secretary of State. LEGATION OF SWEDEN, WASHINGTON, D. C. (Translation) October 7, 1918. EXCELLENCY: By order of my government I have the honor confidentially to transmit herewith to you the following communication of the Imperial and Royal Government of Austria-Hungary to the President of the United States of America: The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which has waged war always and solely as a defensive war, and repeatedly given documentary evidence of its readiness to stop the shedding of blood and to arrive at a just and honorable peace, hereby addresses itself to His Lordship the President of the United States of America and offers to conclude with him and his allies an armistice on every front on land, at sea and in the air, and to enter immediately upon negotiations for a peace for which the fourteen points in the message of President Wilson to Congress of January 8, 1918, and the four points contained in President Wilson's address of February 12, 1918, should serve as a foundation and in which the viewpoints declared by President Wilson in his address of September 27, 1918, will also be taken into account. Be pleased to accept, etc. His Excellency, (Signed) W. A. F. EKENGREN. MR. ROBERT LANSING, SIR: Secretary of State of the United States, Washington. The Secretary of State to the Minister of Sweden.* DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON. October 18, 1918. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 7th instant in which you transmit a communication of the Imperial 8 Official U. S. Bulletin, October 19, 1918. 4 Ibid., October 19, 1918. and Royal Government of Austria-Hungary to the President. I am now instructed by the President to request you to be good enough, through your Government, to convey to the Imperial and Royal Government the following reply: The President deems it his duty to say to the Austro-Hungarian Government that he cannot entertain the present suggestions of that Government because of certain events of utmost importance which, occurring since the delivery of his address of the 8th of January last, have necessarily altered the attitude and responsibility of the Government of the United States. Among the fourteen terms of peace which the President formulated at that time occurred the following: "X. The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity of autonomous development." Since that sentence was written and uttered to the Congress of the United States the Government of the United States has recognized that a state of belligerency exists between the Czecho-Slovaks and the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires, and that the Czecho-Slovak National Council is a de facto belligerent government clothed with proper authority to direct the military and political affairs of the Czecho-Slovaks. It has also recognized in the fullest manner the justice of the nationalistic aspirations of the Jugo-Slavs for freedom. The President is, therefore, no longer at liberty to accept the mere "autonomy" of these peoples as a basis of peace, but is obliged to insist that they, and not he, shall be the judges of what action on the part of the Austro-Hungarian Government will satisfy their aspirations and their conception of their rights and destiny as members of the family of nations. Accept, Sir, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration. (Signed) ROBERT LANSING. The Minister of Sweden to the Secretary of State. DEPARTMENT OF AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN INTERESTS, LEGATION OF SWEDEN, WASHINGTON, D. C. October 29, 1918. EXCELLENCY: By order of my government, I have the honor to beg you to transmit to the President the following communication from the Imperial and Royal Government of Austria-Hungary: In reply to the note of the President, Mr. Wilson, to the Austro-Hungarian 5 Official U. S. Bulletin, October 31, 1918. Government, dated October 18 of this year, and about the decision of the President to take up, with Austria-Hungary separately, the question of armistice and peace, the Austro-Hungarian Government has the honor to declare that it adheres both to the previous declarations of the President and his opinion of the rights of the peoples of Austria-Hungary, notably those of the Czecho-Slovaks and the Jugo-Slavs, contained in his last note. Austria-Hungary having thereby accepted all the conditions which the President had put upon entering into negotiations on the subject of armistice and peace, nothing, in the opinion of the Austro-Hungarian Government, longer stands in the way of beginning those negotiations. The Austro-Hungarian Government therefore declares itself ready to enter, without waiting for the outcome of other negotiations, into negotiations for a peace between Austria-Hungary and the Entente States, and for an immediate armistice on all the fronts of Austria-Hungary, and begs the President, Mr. Wilson, to take the necessary measures to that effect. Be pleased to accept, Excellency, the assurances of my high consideration. His Excellency, ROBERT LANSING, (Signed) W. A. F. EKENGREN. Secretary of State of the United States, Washington, D. C. PROTOCOL OF THE CONDITIONS OF AN ARMISTICE BETWEEN THE ALLIED AND ASSOCIATED POWERS AND AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.1 November 3, 1918. MILITARY CLAUSES 1. The immediate cessation of hostilities by land, sea, and air. 2. Total demobilization of the Austro-Hungarian army and immediate withdrawal of all Austro-Hungarian forces operating on the front from the North Sea to Switzerland. Within Austro-Hungarian territory, limited as in clause 3 below, there shall only be maintained as an organized military force a maximum of 20 divisions, reduced to pre-war effectives. Half the divisional, corps, and army artillery and equipment shall be collected at points to be indicated by the allies and United States of America for delivery to them, beginning with all such material as exists in the territories to be evacuated by the Austro-Hungarian forces. 3. Evacuation of all territories invaded by Austria-Hungary since the beginning of war. Withdrawal within such periods as shall be determined by the commander-in-chief of the allied forces on each front of the Austro-Hungarian armies behind a line fixed as follows: From Piz Umbrail to the north of the Stelvio it will follow the crest of the Rhetian Alps up to the sources of the Adige and the Eisach, passing thence by Mounts Reschen and Brenner and the heights of Oetz and Ziller; the line thence turns south, crossing Mount Toblach and meeting the present frontier of the Carnic Alps. It follows this frontier up to Mount Tarvis, and after Mount Tarvis the watershed of the Julian Alps by the Col of Predil, Mount Mangart, the Tricorno (Terglou), and the watershed of the Cols di Podberdo, Podlaniscam and Idria. From this point the line turns southeast toward the Schneeberg, excluding the whole basin of the Save and its tributaries: from the Schneeberg it goes down toward the coast in such a way as to include Castua, Mattuglia, and Volosca, in the evacuated territories. 1 Official U. S. Bulletin, November 4, 1918 [corrected]. |