Office of the Historian

Paris Peace Conf. 184.00101/73

Minutes of the Daily Meetings of the Commissioners Plenipotentiary, Saturday, May 24, 1919

May 24, 1919
  • Present:
    • Mr. Lansing
    • Mr. White
    • Gen. Bliss
    • Mr. Herter

1. Mr. Herter read a memorandum prepared by Dr. Mezes for Mr. Grew, summarizing briefly the most important points which would still have to be acted upon by the Commissioners alter the actual treaties of peace had been signed with Germany and Austria. The Commissioners requested that they be given copies of this memorandum. Points To Be Acted Upon by Commission After Treaties With Germany & Austria Have Been Signed

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2. At the request of the Commissioners, Col. Sherman Miles entered the meeting in order to discuss with the Commissioners certain phases of the Montenegrin and Albanian situation. Col. Miles, who had just returned from Montenegro, gave a short statement as to the conditions in Montenegro at the present moment as he had observed them together with a brief outline of the events leading to the present state of affairs. When asked what solution he advocated in regard to the Montenegrin situation, Col. Miles stated that he felt the only possible solution was a union of Montenegro with Jugo-Slavia, provided it were guaranteed a measure of autonomy similar in relation to its population as had been granted to the Croats and Slovenes. Col. Miles also felt that the boundaries between Albania and Montenegro should be redrawn along clearly defined nationalistic lines without regard to the special interests of any outside influences and without regard to the recent actions of the Serbians which had caused the evacuation of certain southern districts of Montenegro by the Albanians. Reports of Col. Miles Regarding Montenegro and Albania

In regard to Albania, Col. Miles sketched briefly her tribal form of government and the great difficulties of her being able to maintain order within her own boundaries unless given the protection or assistance of some outside great power. He felt that Albania should be an independent state, but that it should be under the mandate of either England or the United States.