763.72/3528
The Secretary of State to Colonel E. M. House
My Dear Colonel: I enclose you a copy of a strictly confidential dispatch received from Copenhagen under date of March 16th.27
[Page 629]Of course it is all nonsense about Bernstorff denying the Carranza note.28 The effort seems to be to obtain knowledge of the source of our information. That the German Government will not get.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I trust that Mrs. Lansing and I will be able to be with you next Saturday night, but the sudden turn of events as a result of the sinking of three American vessels may interfere with our plans.
I have just returned from a conference with the President. He is disposed not to summon Congress as a result of the sinking of these vessels. He feels that all he could ask would be powers to do what he is already doing. I suggested that he might call them to consider declaring war, and urged the present was the psychological moment in view of the Russian revolution and the anti-Prussian spirit in Germany, and that to throw our moral influence in the scale at this time would aid the Russian liberals and might even cause revolution in Germany. He indicated to me the fear he had of the queries and investigations of a Congress which could not be depended upon because of the out-and-out pacifists and the other group of men like Senator Stone.
If you agree with me that we should act now, will you not please put your shoulder to the wheel?
Faithfully yours,
- This read in part as follows: “Since Bernstorff’s return, German officials insist that the Carranza note was a legitimate precaution. Bernstorff officially takes this view, though he personally is trying for peace. German Legation here believes that military party will go to extreme lengths, in spite of moderate attitude of Foreign Office. Zimmermann still believes in a Japanese alliance. Egan.” (File No. 763.72/3528.)↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1917, supp. 1, p. 147.↩