File No. 763.72112/3159
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 17,10.40 a. m.]
5169. I have been continuing my insistent representations on the black-list question and have had a long series of informal conversations, sometimes with Lord Grey, sometimes with Lord Robert Cecil, and sometimes with both together, until they have come thoroughly to understand the feeling aroused by it in the United States. They did not anticipate this feeling. They are surprised by it, and they wish to remove it. They had no intention of disturbing American trade by it nor of annoying anybody but their enemies. The unmistakable inference I draw is that they regret their action in extending the publication of the black list to the United States and they are now disposed to take sweeping measures to remedy it.
Yesterday during a long conversation with both these Ministers, Lord Grey expressed his Government’s willingness to go over the case of every name on the list with some eminent authority designated by our Government who is familiar with the subject, and after frank consideration of every case, to “whittle the list down to the smallest number of names possible.”
When the conversation turned on the personnel that this plan would involve, he requested that I convey to you by telegraph an earnest invitation from His Majesty’s Government to the Government of the United States to send Mr. Polk to London for the purpose, definitely promising that as the result of such an examination of the whole subject the list should be greatly reduced and that no new names should be added to it. Lord Grey supplements his oral invitation with a personal note this morning in which he repeats it and says “we shall most cordially welcome Mr. Polk’s visit.”
Their invitation to send him is meant as proof of their good will and of their desire to yield to our wishes as far as they can go without feeling compelled to remove their lists in other countries where they are of real military importance.
Lord Grey told me that he was much impressed by my report of the unfortunate results of the black list in the United States and that he desires to give the strongest proof to our Government and to our people that his Government earnestly wishes to avoid all possible disturbance to American trade and all possible annoyance.