851.857 Su 8/57½
The German Ambassador (Bernstorff) to Colonel E. M. House 35
My Dear Colonel House: With regard to our last confidential conversation I beg to add the following remarks based upon instructions just received from Berlin.
[Here follows, almost verbatim, telegram No. 130, April 11, from the German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the German Ambassador, printed on page 545.] My Government entirely shares your wish to bring about peace and hopes that the relations between the United States and Germany will remain so friendly that both Governments can work together for the purpose of achieving this object so desirable in the interest of humanity and of all nations.
The foregoing statements as I said before, are entirely based on instructions from my Government. For my own part, I venture to suggest that it might be advisable to refrain from a further exchange of official notes, the publication of which always causes irritation.
[Page 548]At your suggestion, I called on Mr. Lansing the other day and put myself at his disposal in case he wished me to take up any phase of the matter. Experience has proved, again in the question of exportation of dyestuffs from Berlin, that we always obtain better results if I take up matters confidentially with my Government. Otherwise, they do not, in Berlin, get the right impression of the state of affairs in this country.
I shall give myself the pleasure of calling on you the next time I visit New York which will probably be during the Easter Holidays.
I remain [etc.]
- This paper bears the notation: “This has just come from B and may interest you. E. M. H.”↩