There was never a more complete reversal of public sentiment toward an individual.
The reason for reciting the facts of the Fiume dispute, which was one of the most unpleasant incidents that took place at Paris during the negotiations, is to bring out clearly the consequences of secret diplomacy.

A discussion of the reasons, or of the probable reasons, for the return of the Italian statesmen to Paris before the Treaty was handed to the Germans would add nothing to the subject under consideration, while the same may be said of the subsequent occupation of Fiume by Italian nationalists under the fanatical D'Annunzio, without authority of their Government, but with the enthusiastic approval of the Italian people.
Five days after the Italian Premier and his Minister of Foreign Affairs had departed from Paris I had a long interview with a well-known Italian diplomat, who was an intimate friend of both Signor Orlando and Baron Sonnino and who had been very active in the secret negotiations regarding the Italian boundaries which had been taking place at Paris since the middle of December.

This diplomat was extremely bitter about the whole affair and took no pains to hide his views as to the causes of the critical situation which existed.

In the memorandum of our conversation, which I wrote immediately after he left my office, appears the following: "He exclaimed: 'One tells you one thing and that is not true; then another tells you another thing and that too is not true.

What is one to believe?
What can one do?
It is hopeless.