Mr. White to Mr. Hay.
Berlin, February 14, 1901.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that in December last, under general instructions from the Department, intervention was made in behalf of Lewis T. Cannon and Jacob Müller, American citizens, who had been residing in Cologne, “in the capacity of missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church),” who had been found “lästig” (troublesome, objectionable) by the local authorities “because of the preaching and practice” of their religion, and who had consequently been expelled from Prussia. In the case of Mr. Müller, who had no present intention to return to Germany, the request was made that the order for his expulsion might be recalled, so that he might not be liable to arrest and punishment in case he ever found it desirable to make another visit. Mr. Müller is a naturalized American citizen of Wurttemberg origin, and is about 60 years old. Mr. Cannon, however, who is a native American citizen, wished to be allowed to return to Prussia as a student in case he should not be permitted to do so as a missionary.
To-day the embassy is in receipt of a note from the imperial foreign office in which it is stated that the Royal Prussian Government does [Page 166] not consider it practicable (“angängig”) under the circumstances either to recall the orders of expulsion or to permit Cannon to stay in Prussia as a student. This information has at once been communicated to Mr. Cannon, who was at Zurich, Switzerland, when last heard from, and he has been asked to communicate it to Mr. Müller, whose address is not known to the embassy.
I am, etc.,