Office of the Historian

763.72112/545a

The Secretary of State to President Wilson

Washington, December 17, 1914.

My Dear Mr. President: I am sending you a draft of a proposed instruction [to the Ambassador in Great Britain].23 This was prepared by Mr. Johnson23a and revised by Mr. Lansing and afterwards by myself.

I think, in view of the increasing tension there is on the subject it is well for us to put this Government’s views in definite form so that in case inquiry is made as to what has been done it will be manifest that we have exerted ourselves to the utmost to bring about a lessening of the hardships imposed upon neutral countries.

[Page 258]

It is a matter of such importance, however, that we are anxious to have you go over it carefully and suggest any changes in phraseology or any additions or subtractions that you may think wise.

It does seem as if they24 could do everything required for the protection of their rights without the great and constant injury which has been done to shipping.

We have had a similar experience in regard to communication by cable. We have many complaints of innocent cables being undelivered and the senders have not even been notified of the failure to deliver, so that great loss has been occasioned. This we have recently brought to the attention of the Government in another telegram,25 but the proposed telegram which I am enclosing goes over the whole subject more fully than we have heretofore done.

The enclosed clippings26 indicate the public criticism that is being directed toward the policy of the British Government.

With assurances [etc.]

W. J. Bryan
  1. Not found in Department files. See footnote 27, p. 258.↩
  2. Cone Johnson, Solicitor for the Department of State.↩
  3. i. e., the British Government.↩
  4. Foreign Relations, 1914, supp., p. 526.↩
  5. Not enclosed with file copy of this letter.↩