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The Italian Government quieted rumor by officially announcing the appointment of Commendatore* Giacomo de Martino, Italian Ambassador to Japan, to represent His Majesty King Vittorio Emanuele III at Washington in place of Prince Gelasio Gaetani, resigned. The latter returns to Rome to do what a long line of kings, emperors, popes, dukes, nobles could not do--drain the great Pontine marshes near Rome.

The new Italian Ambassador to Washington comes from a family which, for eight generations, has been in the diplomatic service of Naples and Italy. His grandfather was the last Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Naples and his father died in Tokyo, where he was Italy's accredited Ambassador.

The story is told of his father's being suddenly ousted from the Italian Legation at Peking by a new Government at Rome because his policies did not please the new Administration. De Martino papa, forced to earn his living in the Orient, where he had had long experience, did so by writing for U. S. newspapers.

Coming from so long a line of diplomats, small is the wonder that Signor de Martino is able. He was born just over 56 years ago, was sent to school in England as a small boy, learned the English language perfectly and still speaks it without a trace of foreign accent. At the age of 23, he joined the Diplomatic Corps. Fifteen years later, he was First Secretary of Legation at Cairo and, in 1910, was promoted Italy's Minister Plenipotentiary and Diplomatic Agent at the same place. It was in this latter capacity that he became a warm and trusted friend of the late Field Marshal Lord Kitchener.

In 1912, after Italy had successfully upheld against the Turk the annexation oi its North African Province of Tripoli, Signor de Martino was transferred to the Sublime Porte (Constantinople), where he remained until Italy joined the War, in 1915, on the side of the Entente Powers.

During the War, he was principal Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs, an important position which kept him constantly in touch with virtually all the Entente political leaders. After the Armistice, he was one of Italy's chief representatives at the epoch-making Versailles Conference. Then fell to him probably his most difficult diplomatic mission: he was appointed Ambassador to Germany.

His sister married the German Count Albert von Quadt, onetime Charge d'Affaires of the German Embassy at Washington--; thus, on that score alone, De Martino was well known in the Teuton grand monde. He had, from August, 1914, until Italy entered the War in 1915, constantly, loudly and successfully counseled Italy to abandon the Triple Alliance and join the Triple Entente. On this account, too, he was well known in Germany--and well hated. His position called, it was said, for the utmost "dignity, tact, patience and firmness", all of which qualities he showed superlatively.

After a few months, he was transferred to be Ambassador to the Court of St. James's in London; but, on account of his differences with the then Premier Lloyd George, his Government moved him on to his father's old post at Tokyo, whence he comes to the U. S. after several years of brilliant and devoted service in Japan.

*Commendatore is the equivalent of the British order of knighthood, a title which is even more abused in Italy than in Britain, a large percentage of the male adult population being commendatori.

*Count Albert von Quadt was in charge of the German Embassy pending the arrival of I lie Ambassador, Baron Speck von Sternberg. The Von Quadts were formerly a minor ruling family of one of the German States; thus it came about that the Countess, de Martino's sister, who had no official connection with the Embassy, outranked the Ambassadors at social and diplomatic functions. The matter was settled by withdrawing Count von Quadt.