File No. 763.72119/215
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2.40 p. m.]
5335. Your circular telegram of December 16, 5 p. m. The text of the German note was delivered personally by me at 11.30 to-day to Lord Robert Cecil in charge of Foreign Office during temporary absence of Mr. Balfour. I handed him a copy of it. I read to him the rest of your telegram but left no copy of that in the absence of explicit instructions to do so. He informed me that before he could give an intimation of the answer that will be made to the Central powers the cabinet must be consulted, and he promised to give me the intimation you ask for at the earliest possible moment. He did intimate that the answer would be a single answer signed by all the Allied Governments, and not a separate reply by each.
It is generally expected here that the Prime Minister will indicate in his speech to-morrow in the House of Commons, on the general policy of the new government, the nature of the response that the Allied Governments will make to the Central powers.