411.65 Palumbo, Rosolino/19
The Secretary of State to the Governor of Louisiana (Allen)
Sir: Reference is made to the letter of July 24, 1933, and its enclosure,31 received from your secretary, Richard W. Leche, regarding the death of Ross (Rosolino) Palumbo, in New Orleans on May 10, 1932.
[Page 598]I regret to say that the letter under reference and its enclosure do not supply the information requested in the Department’s letter of February 7, 1933. In that letter the Department expressed a desire to be furnished (1) with authenticated copies of all official records relating to the case, and (2) with the citation of pertinent authorities concerning the laws of Louisiana which the District Attorney stated render the case closed.
In addition to the foregoing, the Department expressed a desire that you would be good enough to take such further steps as might be possible and proper to determine the person or persons responsible for the death of Palumbo, and to have proper punishment administered. The Department also asked to be informed with respect to the citizenship status of the deceased and of the widow and child.
The requests just indicated were made because of the receipt by the Department of a note from the Italian Embassy, dated January 9, 1933—copy of which was enclosed with the Department’s letter to you of February 7, 1933,—wherein the Embassy stated: (1) that it did not agree with the conclusions contained in the District Attorney’s letter of June 27, 1932, to the effect that the case ought to be considered closed; (2) that it desired to know whether the opinion of the Governor of the State of Louisiana coincided with the opinion expressed by the District Attorney; (3) that the Warden and Sheriff were legally accountable for the prisoner who entered the jail, healthy in mind and body; and (4) that it viewed the matter with great concern and desired to know the attitude of this Government with respect to the punishment of the responsible parties and the payment of an indemnity to the widow and son of the deceased.
You will appreciate, I am sure, the necessity on the part of this Government of maintaining a proper attitude toward the reasonable requests of foreign Governments in matters of this kind. The detailed information indicated in the Department’s letter of February 7, 1933, and in the note of January 9, 1933, from the Italian Embassy, is needed in order that I may make an appropriate reply to the Embassy.
It is proper to add that unless this Government is able to show, by convincing evidence, either that the death of Palumbo was not wrongful, or that the guilty parties have been properly punished, it is not improbable that the Italian Government will insist upon the payment of an indemnity.
I should like to avoid such a situation by showing that the authorities of the State of Louisiana have not failed to do their full duty in the premises.
I have [etc.]
- Neither printed.↩