File No. 701.6311/228
The Ambassador in Austria-Hungary (Penfield) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 12, 8 p. m.]
1524. Baron Burian informs me that it is assumed that by giving agrément to the appointment of a new Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to the United States the President will insure him the means of communicating with his Government in the same measure as I .am enabled to communicate with you He is anxious to have your reply before the date set for Count Tarnowski’s sailing, announcement of which I expect to be able to inform you very shortly.
The reasons for the adoption by the Government of full control of the wireless telegraph stations in the United States were explained to Baron Macchio who spoke on behalf of Minister for Foreign Affairs. He remarked that the disappearance of German cruisers from the seas made such precautions no longer necessary, to which the rejoinder was made that the recent appearance of a German submarine [Page 802] torpedo boat off the Massachusetts coast and the activities of their submarine merchantmen made it doubly important in the German interest that American wireless telegraph stations should not become available for the British in indicating to their warships the movements of such vessels, and that in any event all the American Government sought was to guard against United States territory’s being used for unneutral purposes by any of the belligerents. If, as I suppose, you will not find yourself able to accede to Baron Burian’s request, I venture to suggest that the refusal be cast in as palatable and convincing a form as possible.