861.77/655: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
568. For the Secretary of State and McCormick:
Your 521 January 31st, 8 p.m. I have given the suggestion made by you most careful consideration, have taken advice of the men in the Department, and then brought the question up at Cabinet today. Everyone is of the same mind that it would be very inadvisable for me to go to Congress at this time with any plan, one, of acquiring money to be expended abroad, or two, having anything to do with Russia. In regard to the first objection, having just been through the fight to obtain the money for the $100,000,000 fund for feeding Europe, I am convinced that I would not be given any consideration whatever, in view of the fact our plans in regard to the railroad—as to who are to contribute and how much it would cost—are so absolutely indefinite. In the Committee on Appropriations the whole fight made on the Food Bill by the opponents and the criticisms made even by our friends was that they did not have information enough. The information in the case of the Food Bill was so much more than anything I could offer at present, I am advised by everyone that an attempt to get any agreement from committee would be hopeless.
In regard to the second objection, the first question to be asked would be what is the Russian policy. If no answer could be given, the reasons for not being able to give an answer would have no weight. Senator Johnson is demanding that troops be withdrawn [Page 249] from Archangel, and there is considerable support of his position on the ground that our men are being killed and no one knows why they are still there. Of course these criticisms are unjust, but they carry more or less weight. Any attempt to commit Congress to a definite policy on the Siberian railroad, which is only a part of the whole Russian problem, would be hopeless unless some definite information could be given them on the whole subject. The Vice President said that if the Russian question were thrown into Congress at this time, it would probably jeopardize all the appropriation bills.
In view of the unanimous opinion of all who have been consulted, I think it would be wiser for me not to approach them for money for this purpose. It seems to me that it has to be settled now whether we will accept the compromise arrangement for operating railroad and then take our chance later on of being able to get Congress to assume the responsibility. If Congress then refuses to accept a carefully worked out plan that shows how much money will be required and how much each Government will contribute, then the responsibility will be on Congress, but to get Congress to commit itself to any proposal for financing the railroad—in its present mood when it is badly frightened over the amount of money we are spending and when it is so completely at sea as to what should be done in Russia—would be hopeless.
Shall I give formal approval. Japanese pressing for answer.