Newton D. Baker to Woodrow Wilson

The Secretary of State has just handed me the letter from General Sosnowski, which I herewith return. I am much impressed with what the General says, and feel that if there is to be any sentimental effort anywhere in Europe, it ought to be made in Russia rather than in France. I think there would be great value in an American military expedition passing through Russia on railroad trains decorated with the American flag, and spreading the news from Vladivostok to the front that the Americans were there and were cooperating with the Russians. This sort of news would, in a country like Russia, spread from person to person, even though the newspaper publicity which we should rely upon in this country were unavailable.
I think it would be possible, with General Sosnowski's assistance, to organize, with fair rapidity, a considerable body of Polish Falcons for such an expedition, and it would seem to me that an American General at their head would be highly desirable. I find myself wondering, however, what the effect of an expedition so composed would be upon our own people. Might it not be said among our foreign-born people that we were planning to send them to do the fighting, while the native Americans stayed at home, and might not such an expedition in Russia be less obviously an American expedition to the Russian people, who would soon discover that we were, after all, sending only Poles? It would be necessary, of course, to organize the force so as to exclude German and Austrian Poles, and the force, when organized, would be obliged to fight against Austrians as well as Germans, since they are indiscriminately mixed on the Austrian front, but if it is your judgment that such an expedition is sufficiently safe from misunderstanding and sufficiently valuable to be sent, if possible, I will be glad to have General Sosnowski get into immediate touch with the General Staff and make an accurate determination as to the possibility of such a movement.

Respectfully yours,

The President.

1 Inclosure