File No. 763.72/10416
The Chargé in Great Britain ( Laughlin ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6 p.m.]
10713.
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The New York correspondent of the Daily News announces that the American labor delegates who have recently returned from this country recommend that an international organization be started “to combat the political movement of labor associated with Mr. Henderson,” and that the American Federation should maintain one or more representatives in Europe of whom Mr. Gompers should be the first. In a talk which a member of this Embassy had with Mr. Sidney Webb he expressed the opinion that in the interests of Allied unity it would not be desirable that any more American labor delegates preaching the doctrine of the “knockout blow” and of complete nonintercourse with German Socialists should come to this country or to France at the present time. His opinion is that the recent visit of the American delegates to France and their intercourse with French Socialists did not tend towards harmony but had on the contrary a somewhat disturbing effect on French Socialists and labor circles.
Webb stated that as has been announced in the English press there was little doubt that Mr. Branting from Stockholm and Mr. Troelstra from Rotterdam would attend the British Labor conference to be held here on the 27th instant. He believes that Mr. Branting would proceed with Mr. Henderson to Paris to confer with French Socialists respecting the proposed international Socialist conference, but owing to the strong feeling in France against Troelstra it was not certain that this gentleman would be able to go there, in which case it was probable that some of the French Socialist leaders would come here to confer with him. The Northcliffe press strongly intimates that Mr. Troelstra will not receive his passport to come to England, but Webb says that has had no news of such action and that in any case Mr. Troelstra would attend the Labor Party conference as a secondary fraternal delegate and would have no opportunity of speaking there on the question of the proposed international conference.
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