An American View of Conditions in Montenegro 1918–1919

Abstract

The Furlong Dossier and reports represent but one view of the United States policy toward Montenegro, at a time when the official policy had not yet crystallized. The United States interests in Montenegro in 1918—1919 stemmed from its duties as an Allied nation, from the reports of civil strife in Montenegro, from the application of the Wilsonian principles (one of which called for the restoration of Montenegro) and from the fact that in a broader context the question of Montenegro had become an aspect of the heated Adriatic question. The United States had no other political objectives than to see that justice was done to Montenegro and its people. Initially, its sympathies lay with King Nikola and his government with which it had exchanged diplomatic representatives. It was against this background that Major Furlong performed his dity in Montenegro. His views reflected a fleeting moment in American relations with Montenegro. But in time the higher Allied interest came to prevail and, like the other Allies, the United States found itself on the side of the unionists and Serbia.