File No. 763.72/3579
The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11 p.m.]
5880. Mr. Balfour has shown me the informal suggestion conveyed by the Navy Department through Gaunt 2 regarding closer naval relations and his reply. The British Government will heartily fall in with any plan we propose as soon as cooperation can be formally established. It was intimated to me that a submarine base on the coast of Ireland would then be assented to.
The whole subject of active cooperation and the best methods to bring it about have been informally discussed by me with Mr. Balfour, Mr. Bonar Law, the Prime Minister, Admiral Jellicoe, and others at their invitation, and they will most gladly assent to any proposals that we are likely to make. They withhold proposals of their own until the way has formally been opened by us lest they should seem to push themselves upon us, which they of course do not wish to do.
I know personally and informally that they hope for the establishment of full and frank naval interchange of information and cooperation. Knowing their spirit and their methods I can not too strongly recommend that our Government send here immediately an admiral of our Navy who will bring our Navy’s plans and inquiries. The coming of such an officer of high rank would be regarded as a compliment and he would have all doors opened to him and a sort of special staff appointed to give him the results and methods of the whole British naval work since the war began. Every important ally has an officer of such high rank here. In a private conversation with me to-day at luncheon Mr. Balfour expressed his enthusiastic hope that such a plan would be immediately carried out. Many things of the greatest value would be verbally made known to such an officer which would never be given in a routine way nor reduced to writing.
[Page 6]Admiral Jellicoe has privately expressed the hope to me that our Navy may see its way to patrol our coast and possibly relieve the British cruisers now on our side the Atlantic. He hopes too that in case more German raiders go out we may help capture them in waters where they prey on shipping from Mexico or South America.
If our Navy Department will send an admiral it would be advantageous for me to be informed as soon as possible. The confidential information that he will come by would be of immediate help. Such an officer could further definite plans for full cooperation.
- Capt. Guy Gaunt, British naval attaché at Washington.↩