File No. 124.636/24
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Austria-Hungary (Penfield)
Sir: The Department has received your No. 1300 of February 14,2 enclosing copies of memoranda of notes addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the interests of the British, French, and Italian Governments, to which replies are still awaited. You state that the various Governments concerned, and that of Austria-Hungary as well, believe that American officials have obligated themselves to employ the “full weight of their influence” rather than to act merely as channels of communication between the governments at war.
The Department is aware of the delicate position in which the Embassy is placed, and is confident that the Embassy appreciates that it is merely acting as a channel of communication and not with authority to present demands as some of the governments seem to believe. The Department has always been careful to draw a distinction between perfunctory good offices and original exercise of representative functions; and if any one of the belligerent governments “insists” or “demands” anything of an enemy government, it is the function of the Government of the United States to communicate such “demand” without comment. If the representative of the United States is in position to ask anything originally, he “requests” it or “invites consideration.”
I am [etc.]