763.72/1752b
The Secretary of State to President Wilson
My Dear Mr. President: I am enclosing copy of the draft of the note made according to your instructions.50 In most of the cases it is simply a choice of words and usually the words used by Mr. Lansing are a little harsher than words used by you, and I incline to the milder statement where it is clear and certain.
In one case, on page 5, I very much prefer your word to his, namely, the use of the word “unarmed” instead of the word “unresisting”— (line 3, page 5).51 The difference is quite an important one. If the vessel is armed that, as I understand it, establishes her character and it is not necessary to wait to see whether she will resist. It is presumed that an armed vessel will resist—that is what the arms are for.
At the bottom of page 5 he has substituted—“the civilized world” for “modern opinion”.52 I like your phrase—“modern opinion” better. In his phrase—the word “civilized” would be more offensive because it will virtually charge Germany with being uncivilized. There is no use calling names—there is sufficient force in the plain statement.
About the middle of page 6 the phrase which he leaves out strengthens the statement.53 It might be qualified a little by adding after “was” and before “not giving [given]”, the phrase—“according to our information”.
You will notice that he has inserted on page 6—fifth line from the bottom—the suggestion which I made to you in my letter of this morning54—namely: “as the last few weeks have shown”.55 This, of course, is put in subject to your approval.
He has also indicated a place at the beginning of page 11 for the insertion of “A”56 which I suggested in my letter this morning, only, he leaves out the phrase “sunk by mistake” which broadens the phrase—an improvement.
He also suggests the omission of the last sentence but I am inclined to think that it is worth while to set it forth as a principle. It will be difficult for her to reply that she is “at liberty to subordinate the rights of neutrals to the supposed or even actual needs of the belligerents”, and, if she does not deny it, it may be of value to have it taken as admitted.
[Page 400]On page 11 you will notice that he uses the words—“must realize that” instead of “will not expect, etc.”57 I like your phrase better; it is more polite to say that the German Government will not expect us to surrender our rights, rather than to say that the German Government “must realize that we will not.”
Mr. Lansing prefers to leave in the reference to von Bernstorff about the propriety of which there is, as I wrote you this morning, a question in my mind.
A question arises as to making the matter public. I think it advisable to have the statement issued as soon as possible—do you think it would be improper to give it out here as soon as it is cabled to Berlin? I presume there is no use of putting it in cipher if we give it out here when it is sent. I am inclined to think that, desirable as it would be to give it out at once, it might be better to put it in cipher and send it by cable and then give it out when it has had time to reach Berlin. It occurs to me it would be a little better to have them in possession of it when it was given out here, rather than have them receive the information by news before it reaches them officially. They gave their last statement to us to the Press there when it was filed for transmission, at least it reached the newspapers here in the evening before it reached the Ambassador, and we read it in the newspapers before it was delivered, but the Ambassador explained that he brought it as soon as he could.
With assurances [etc.]