Rome, August 29, 1923
I approve the measures that you have already taken.
Your Lordship is entrusted with writing to the Greek Government to request the reparations enumerated and specified below. They constitute the minimum demands compatible with the extreme gravity of the offense committed against Italy, for which Greece is responsible:
l) The Greek Government shall tender an apology in the fullest and most official manner to the Italian Government. This apology shall be presented to the Royal Italian Minister at Athens by the Highest Greek Military Authority.
2) Solemn funeral service for the victims of the massacre, to be celebrated in the Catholic Cathedral at Athens, which must be attended by all the members of the Government.
3) The Italian flag shall be saluted on the day in which the above-mentioned ceremony takes place, and in the manner described in detail hereafter. An Italian naval division will arrive at Phalerum at 8 o'clock in the morning. As soon as the division in question has anchored, several Greek battleships — with the exception, however, of all light torpedo boats, which shall remain at anchor within the roadsteads of Salamis or the harbour of the Piraeus — moored at the point where, as has been mentioned, the Italian division will cast anchor, shall salute the Italian flag flying at the masthead of all the aforementioned Greek vessels, by a salvo of 21 guns. During the funeral ceremony mentioned in paragraph 2, both the Greek and Italian vessels shall lower their flags to half-mast. On the evening of the same day before sunset, the Italian naval division will leave its moorings at Phalerum and at the moment of departure will return the salute by the customary salvo.
4) The Greek authorities shall carry out a very strict inquiry at the scene of the massacre, with the assistance, of His Majesty's Military Attache, Colonel Perrone di San Martino. The Greek Government shall be fully responsible for the personal safety of Colonel Perrone and shall facilitate the task entrusted to him in every way.
5) Capital punishment for all the culprits.
6) Indemnity of 50 million Italian lire to be paid within five days of receiving this note.
7) Military honors to be paid to the corpses on the occasion of their transferral to an Italian vessel at the port of Preveza.
Your Lordship must demand a Greek response with full compliance within a maximum period of twenty-four hours.
MUSSOLINI
