File No. 811.741/27
The Ambassador in Germany (Gerard) to the Secretary of State
Berlin, August 30, 1914 11 a.m. , [Received August 31, 1 a.m.]
[Telegram]
With reference to your telegram of August 29, 3 p.m., [19, 2 p.m.] the following is substance of note received from Foreign Office:
The Government of His Majesty the Emperor is not connected directly or indirectly with the wireless stations at Sayville and Tuckerton in any business or other relations whatsoever and does not communicate to its armed forces directly or indirectly by this medium.
The German Telefunken Gesellschaft, which owns and operates the Nauen station, owns part interest in the Atlantic Communication Company which built and operates the wireless telegraph station at Sayville. The wireless telegraph station at Tuckerton is owned by the Hoch Frequenz Maschinen Actiengesellschaft für Drahtlose Telegraphie which owns and operates the wireless telegraph station at Eilvese in Germany.
Article 3 of the Hague convention relative to rights and duties of neutrals in case of war on land does not apply to these two stations since they were not constructed by a belligerent nor for purely military purposes but are open to public service.
[Page 678]The Hague convention mentioned has not yet been ratified by Great Britain, so by Article 20 its stipulations do not apply.
The German cable having been cut by a hostile power, the wireless communication between America and Germany affords the only independent and uncontrolled medium for the exchange of messages and the German Imperial Government hopes that the American Government is equally convinced that the maintenance of this service is in the best considered interests of the two countries.