File No. 841.731/1232
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page)
My Dear Mr. Page: I have received your letters of November 18 and 29, the latter transmitting a memorandum from Sir Edward Grey with reference to the investigation of messages that have been stopped by the censors and have noted your remarks in connection therewith.
In view of the statement of the British Foreign Office contained in your telegram No. 701, September 19, 1914, that—
Instructions have been given to interfere as little as possible with genuine business telegrams between neutral countries—
and Sir Edward Grey’s assurances conveyed in your undated telegram No. 826, and No. 1183, December 2, 1914, that—
Instructions were given to discontinue the suppression of commercial telegrams between the United States and neutral countries.
The chief censor is willing to make most searching inquiry... The chief censor would indeed welcome specific instances, as they would possibly be accompanied by evidence of the innocence of messages that have appearance of being suspicious and this might give a clue to the nature of a whole class of messages—
all of which information has been given to the different commercial houses in this country, I believe that a bad impression would be created here if the Department were obliged to state, in reply to complaints, that no requests for an inquiry could be made as to the reasons why specific telegrams were not permitted to pass by the British censors.
It is, therefore, my desire that you again take up the matter informally with Sir Edward Grey, expressing the hope of the Department that the British censors will investigate certain specific cases which appear to be worthy of such investigation.
In this connection it may be pointed out that it is not the Department’s wish that all stopped telegrams should be investigated, but only those messages which appear to justify an inquiry.
Emphasize to Sir Edward Grey the danger of placing the British Government in a false light if the Department were now obliged to state to commercial houses in this country that that Government refuse absolutely to give consideration to such requests.
Very sincerely yours,