862.00/788a
The Secretary of State to President Wilson
Dear Mr. President: The political situations in Germany and Austria disturb me greatly, and from the reports which we are receiving it seems probable that the Spartacus group of the Bolsheviks is gaining headway. Kiel, Bremen and Düsseldorf are already in the hands of the Bolsheviks according to press reports; while other reports indicate that the Russian Bolsheviks are supplying Liebknecht and his followers with unlimited funds and materials for the dissemination of propaganda. Liebknecht’s meetings in Berlin are becoming more and more popular.
From all information received the governments of Prussia and Bavaria are in the hands of good men—moderate social democrats—and there are many advantages, it seems to me, in doing what we can [Page 102] at the present time to strengthen these two governments. The possibility has occurred to me that we might ask Mr. Hoover, who has already completed his visit in England and is now in Paris, to proceed immediately to Berlin to get in touch there with the actual situation, both political and economic, and report to you at the earliest possible moment. I should think that Mr. Hoover could make this trip in a very brief period of time.
I should be grateful for an expression of your judgment.
Faithfully yours,