701.6211/281½

The Acting Secretary of State to President Wilson

Dear Mr. President: In accordance with the request of the German Ambassador, I send you a copy of a letter which I have just received from him.

Will you please indicate what other steps, if any, you desire to have taken in the matter?

Very sincerely yours,

Robert Lansing
[Enclosure]

The German Ambassador (Bernstorff) to the Acting Secretary of State

My Dear Mr. Lansing: In answer to your favor of 28th inst. I beg to say, that nobody can regret more than I do that an alleged interview with Baron Schoen appeared in the Evening Star on September 23d. Quite apart from its contents, this interview, if it had been genuine, would have thrown a very bad light on the discipline of my Embassy, no member of which would ever publish anything in the newspapers, unless specially authorized by me to give out an official statement of my Government. I quite agree with you as to the impropriety of the language of the alleged interview. As, however, Baron Schön assured me that he had not made the statements of the alleged interview, I right away published a denial in all newspapers and have since then regarded the interview as nonexistent [Page 79] and as one of the many mushroom growths which every day rise out of the mire produced in the press by this awful war.

I should be very much obliged to you if you would kindly submit the above to the President. Of course, I am very willing to call at the State Department to repeat these statements to you verbally.

Very sincerely yours,

J. Bernstorff