File No. 763.72119/182

The Minister in Switzerland ( Stovall ) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

435. Basler National Zeitung publishes leading article to the effect that it is informed from trustworthy diplomatic source that the United States Government is about to take steps to bring about peace. The first step would be a call for conference of belligerent and neutral powers, to be held in the United States or in one of the [Page 66] neutral countries of Europe. The article states that Germany is willing to evacuate northern France and all of occupied Belgium on condition that group of neutral powers guarantee Belgium’s future neutrality. This article is much commented on here and has caused a recrudescence of peace articles in the Swiss press.

Article is undoubtedly inspired by German propaganda here and is intended as ballon d’essai. Swiss Political Department informs me that it has no knowledge of neutral peace move, but that Sweden had proposed joint action by neutrals to enforce certain neutral rights including protection of neutral vessels from illegal submarine attacks and unwarranted interference with mails between neutral countries.

Stovall