701.6211/281½
The Acting Secretary of
State to President Wilson
Washington,
September 30, 1914.
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,
[Enclosure]
The German Ambassador (Bernstorff) to the Acting Secretary of
State
New York,
September 29, 1914.
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,
