THE COUNCIL OF FOUR


had not been to hand Fiume to the Italians but to have a plebiscite
if the Italians had constructed a port at Buccari. This, of course,
was subject to the people of Fiume still desiring to become Italian.
The difficulty he foresaw was in the Italians being able to finance
the construction of a port.
MR. LLOYD GEORGE pointed out that Italy had an abundance of good
engineering labour and he thought they could carry out the scheme.
PRESIDENT WILSON said that in his view the weakest part of the
Italian case was their insistence on an Army sustained by compul-
sory service. In France, conscription, he understood, was both a
habit and a preference. This, however, was not Italy's argument.
The Italians said they could not get a voluntary Army because they
would have to pay so little.
MR. LLOYD GEORGE again insisted on the importance of getting the
Italians out of Asia Minor. If this were not done there would
always be trouble there as well as in Armenia where America would
have the mandate.
MR. LLOYD GEORGE said that the Mohammedan deputation were
also very strongly opposed to an Italian mandate in the Caucasus.
(Sir Maurice Hankey was instructed to invite M. Venizelos and
Baron Sonnino for a meeting at 430 p. m.)
VILLA MAJESTIC, PARIS 19 May, 1919.
Appendix I to CF-18B
Mr. Gibson, American Minister at Warsaw, to the American Com-
mission to Negotiate Peace
(Telegram-Paraphrase)
AMERICAN LEGATION,
WARSAW, May 14, 1919.
Mr. Gibson states that the following is a confidential message which
Mr. Paderewski sends for President Wilson.
That everything should be done according to the wishes expressed
by you has been my most earnest desire since my arrival here from
Paris. In compliance with the request made by you two divisions
of the army under General Haller which were on the Volhynian front
and marching to assist in defending Lemberg, have been stopped.
Again having convinced myself that the Ukrainians are far re-
moved from being what they have pretended and what the Conference
desires to consider them, I must bring this information to your
attention and to that of your colleagues. General Oskilko, Commander
in Chief of the Second Ukrainian Army, with two of his superior


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