Volume I Part 34 (1/2)
”You may,” replied Bernstorff.
Mr. Straus saw in this acquiescent mood a chance to appeal directly to President Wilson.
”Do you object to my laying this matter before our government?”
”No, I do not.”
Mr. Straus glanced at his watch; it was 10:15 o'clock.
”I think I shall go to Was.h.i.+ngton at once--this very night. I can get the midnight train.”
Mr. Speyer, who has always maintained that this proceeding was casual and in no way promoted by himself and Bernstorff, put in a word of caution.
”I would sleep on it,” he suggested.
But, in a few moments, Mr. Straus was speeding in his automobile through Westchester County in the direction of the Pennsylvania Station. He caught the express, and, the next morning, which was Sunday the sixth, he was laying the whole matter before Secretary Bryan at the latter's house. Naturally, Mr. Bryan was overjoyed at the news; he at once summoned Bernstorff from New York to Was.h.i.+ngton, and went over the suggestion personally. The German Amba.s.sador repeated the statements which he had made to Mr. Straus--always guardedly qualifying his remarks by saying that the proposal had not come originally from him but from his American friend. Meanwhile Mr. Bryan asked Mr. Straus to discuss the matter with the British and French amba.s.sadors.
The meeting took place at the British Emba.s.sy. The two representatives of the Entente, though only too glad to talk the matter over, were more skeptical about the att.i.tude of Bernstorff than Mr. Bryan had been.
”Of course, Mr. Straus,” said Sir Cecil Spring Rice, ”you know that this dinner was arranged purposely so that the German Amba.s.sador could meet you?”
Mr. Straus demurred at this statement, but the Englishman smiled.
”Do you suppose,” Sir Cecil asked, ”that any amba.s.sador would make such a statement as Bernstorff made to you without instructions from his government?”
”You and M. Jusserand,” replied the American, ”have devoted your whole lives to diplomacy with distinguished ability and you can therefore answer that question better than I.”
”I can a.s.sure you,” replied M. Jusserand, ”that no amba.s.sador under the German system would dare for a moment to make such a statement without being authorized to do so.”
”The Germans,” added Sir Cecil, ”have a way of making such statements unofficially and then denying that they have ever made them.”
Both the British and French amba.s.sadors, however, thought that the proposal should be seriously considered.
”If it holds out one chance in a hundred of lessening the length of the war, we should entertain it,” said Amba.s.sador Jusserand.
”I certainly hope that you will entertain it cordially,” said Mr.
Straus.
”Not cordially--that is a little too strong.”
”Well, sympathetically?”
”Yes, sympathetically,” said M. Jusserand, with a smile.
These facts were at once cabled to Page, who took the matter up with Sir Edward Grey. A despatch from the latter to the British Amba.s.sador in Was.h.i.+ngton gives a splendid summary of the British att.i.tude on such approaches at this time.
_Sir Edward Grey to Sir Cecil Spring Rice_ Foreign Office, September 9, 1914.
SIR:
The American Amba.s.sador showed me to-day a communication that he had from Mr. Bryan. It was to the effect that Mr. Straus and Mr.