Office of the Historian

File No. 861.00/2970

The President of the Czechoslovak Provisional Government ( Masaryk) to the Secretary of State

Washington, October 16, 1918.

Mr. Secretary: I take the liberty of submitting to you the first draft of our Declaration of Independence:1 some weeks ago we have decided to publish it because of the insincere promises of the Austro-Hungarian Government to reorganize the Empire. It so happens that the answer of President Wilson to Austria-Hungary is promised just the day on which I was going to publish the declaration. Should you wish that we do not publish it till after the President’s answer, we shall gladly comply with your wishes.

Believe me [etc.]

T. G. Masaryk
  1. Not printed; for final text of this declaration, see post, p. 848.↩