861.00/3628b: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
200. For the Secretary of State: The following memorandum was presented to me by the British Chargé d’Affaires on January 3d:
[Here follows text of memorandum printed ante, page 2.]
This message I regret I did not forward at once as I expected that the same proposal would be presented to the President or the Commission in Paris, as I understood the whole question was being considered there. See your cable concerning consideration of Bolshevik peace proposals.7
The newspaper men asked me Saturday afternoon January 11th about Pichon’s answer,8 which I had not then seen and did not know of, and whether we had received any proposal regarding Bolshevik delegates being sent to Paris. As their question was not clear, I [Page 7] did not connect their inquiry with the British memorandum and accordingly replied we had received no proposal for the Bolsheviki to be allowed to send delegates to Paris. After seeing Mr. Pichon’s statement in the morning papers, I have now announced that we have the memorandum from the British Embassy and that it was not sent to Paris and am assuming full responsibility for the misunderstanding. My announcement9 is being repeated to you.
I told the British Chargé d’Affaires at the time that personally I did not think the statement would have any effect on the Bolsheviki and would only discourage the Omsk Government and others and that I thought it would be better for the Allies and the United States to try first to settle on some policy before making any statement.
Confidentially, I would be interested to know how Mr. Pichon’s statement was made without, apparently, discussing question with you.