763.72119/307½
The Ambassador in Italy (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 18, 1917.]
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I telegraphed you two or three days ago of a curious report brought to me of the Vatican’s suggestion about America’s power to make peace.62 I did not, however, telegraph the whole story, but I want you to have it just as I got it.
My informant is a man of high character and I feel sure that what was said to him was intended for my ears, even though he was not sent directly to me. He said that he had been sent for to go over there and on arrival was told by Cardinal Gasparri, the papal secretary of state, that America had it in her power to make peace within twenty-four hours if she wished to do so. He said: “How does Your Eminence mean?” and the cardinal said: “Simply by acting as a neutral in fact as well as in theory”. He then went into a little discussion as to two kinds of neutrality, one a neutrality which followed the strict letter of the law, the other a neutrality which followed the spirit of the law. The first, he said, was the neutrality which America was following, but if instead of this she would follow the spirit of the law, as Spain had done and would stop all trading whatever with the Allies in as much as she could not trade with the Central Empires, the war would come to an immediate end and peace would be concluded. My informant suggested that for America to do this might be considered by the Allies at this stage as a hostile act. To this the cardinal replied substantially that governments [Page 745] could always find ways in which to meet such difficulties and that it would be easy for the United States, in as much as she was always having questions arise between her and Japan, to bring one of these questions to a point at which she might proclaim to the world that she could no longer send munitions and food supplies, etc., to foreign countries because she must reserve them for her own possible imperative use. Thus she would obviate the danger to which my informant alluded and at the same time need have no apprehension that Japan would wish to engage in war with her, and the question with Japan could be settled afterwards without serious trouble.
The story is so curious that I feel that the President and you will be interested to know it. I have no doubt, however, of the accuracy of the report made to me.
Believe me [etc.]
- Telegram not printed.↩