811.113 Senate Investigation/59
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the German Ambassador (Luther)
After talking with me on another subject, the German Ambassador in a tone of entire formality made reference to the proceedings of the Senate Munitions Investigation as they related to the sale of armaments by American nationals to agencies in Germany. The Ambassador mildly brought this up and made feeble denial, intimating that they were purchases for purely commercial purposes.
I stated to him, without in any way passing on or referring to the merits of the matter, that I had said all I felt disposed to say to the [Page 443] Senate Munitions Investigating Committee about the question of bringing out the full facts at all material to the objects and purposes of the investigation and the extent to which they might consider making public data of a purely hearsay nature which seriously reflected on the integrity of other governments or their chief officials. I added that there was nothing more I felt disposed to say.
He replied that he had hoped I might say something that would show a little more consideration for the German Government in the circumstances than mere silence on my part. This closed the reference to this phase of our conversation.