Office of the Historian

File No. 763.72114A/185d

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

[Telegram]
Washington, September 23, 1918, 1 p.m.

2774. For Garrett:1

It seems almost unnecessary to caution you against entertaining any overtures for or reference to peace which may be introduced [Page 313] by the German or Austrian delegates during the prisoner-of-war conferences.1

Lansing
  1. John W. Garrett, American Minister in the Netherlands, Chairman of the American Commission sent to Berne to negotiate with a German commission an agreement relating to prisoners of war; see Supplement 2.↩
  2. In a telegram dated Oct. 5, Mr. Garrett reported: “Mensing, one of the German delegates and son-in-law of Vice Consul McNally in charge at Zurich, has tried through his father-in-law to find out whether I would see him privately. I have given him to understand that I would not. Somewhat similar approaches have been made to Mr. Davis [military attaché?] with a like result.” This action was approved by telegram No. 3106 from the Acting Secretary of State, Oct. 11. (File No. 763.72114A/222.)↩