File No. 763.72111/93
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
London, August 30, 1914.[Received 3:02 p.m.]
[Telegram]
514. In reply to your telegram of August 11, 7 p.m.,1 which I at once communicated to Sir Edward Grey,I have just received a note, of which the text is as follows:
[Page 677]I have had the honour of receiving your note of the 14th instant submitting for the consideration of His Majesty’s Government alternatives proposals as to the transmission of telegraphic correspondence subject to censorship between the various belligerent governments and their respective embassies in the United States.
I shall be glad if your excellency will inform your Government that of the two alternatives proposed His Majesty’s Government would prefer the adoption of the first, namely, that the wireless stations at Sayville and Tuckerton should be made available for the transmission of the telegraphic correspondence between the belligerent governments and their embassies subject to strict censorship by the United States authorities.
His Majesty’s Government do not regard it as practicable for German and Austro-Hungarian Government messages to be allowed to pass over British and French cables.
His Majesty’s Government trust the United States Government will agree with them that it is an essential part of the duties of the censor to paraphrase all messages of belligerent governments and their embassies in order to prevent, if possible, any hidden meaning being conveyed; this process, besides being followed in the case of messages sent in plain language, should also be applied to the text of all messages intended for translation into code or cipher before being despatched. His Majesty’s Government would also urge that the working of all wireless stations should be taken out of the hands of nationals of belligerent nations.
It is presumed that the adoption of the first alternative submitted by the United States Government would not entail the prohibition of the use of cable communication in preference to wireless for the telegraphic correspondence between Department of State and His Majesty’s Embassy, Such correspondence would, of course, be subject to censorship to the same extent and as the correspondence of belligerent governments conducted through wireless stations.