763.72/7170½
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 15.]
Dear Mr. Secretary: As I’m sure you’ve heard, your speech,39 which the Spectator publishd here in full, has been the subject of much complimentary comment, all which, I hope, has reachd you in clippings sent through the pouch. We aim to send all newspaper comment on American subjects. Your speech pleased the English greatly and gave us all the keenest pleasure.
The newspaper notice of House’s quest of peace data—it caused a little shudder here in spite of your explanation and his that it had no reference to making peace now but only to collecting information for the peace conference. Peace isn’t a popular word here especially since London is now in the firing line. A two-hour-&-20-minute battle has just ended here—ended, at least, for the moment. All the batteries in London kept up a continuous fire and we heard the low thud of bombs as the bombardment went on, and several of them jarred my house. We’ve had 6 raids in 8 nights now, & I imagine we shall have one every night so long as the moonlight lasts—a week more. With the dead to bury in London every day, “peace” in any newspaper doesn’t please Londoners. All this work can, I hope, be done without publicity. A boy has just brought in a [Page 48] 4½ lb. piece of shell that fell on the sidewalk in front of my house and having broken the pavement stone rolled into the area. Our houses, you see, have become our trenches.
I’ve written to House, of course, putting myself at his service in his task. I can without publicity get any information in this Kingdom, and I hold myself at your service in this as in all other matters.
This Government freely gives us all information that we seek. This is my own experience; and I ask every man who comes here properly authenticated, if he is getting what he comes for. They all say “Yes.” The appreciation and applause of our vast preparation and of the enormous service that we have already rendered are spoken on all sides and in every quarter.
Yours sincerely,
- For text, see Address by Robert Lansing, Secretary of State . . . at Madison Barracks, New York, July 29, 1911 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1917).↩