Cary T. Grayson Diary

Title

Cary T. Grayson Diary

Creator

Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938

Identifier

WWP16429

Date

1922 May 22

Description

Cary T. Grayson records his conversation about summer traveling with Woodrow Wilson.

Source

Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia

Language

English

Text

On April 5th Mr. Tumulty wrote a letter to Mr. Wilson asking that he give him a statement to take to New York to be read at the Jefferson Day Banquet. Mr. Wilson replied the following day that he thought it would be unwise for him to give out a statement to be read at this dinner, especially since it was his present policy not to give out statements on public questions. A few days later Mr. Tumulty wrote Mr. Wilson a long letter begging him to reconsider and give him this statement to take to the New York Banquet, giving as his reasons that James M. Cox would be one of the principal speakers; that he (Mr. Cox) had loyally advocated the League of Nations, and that he thought it was due Mr. Cox that Mr. Wilson endorse the stand that Mr. Cox had taken; also that there would be many prominent persons present, among them Frank Polk, Henry Morgenthau, Abram I. Elkus, and others, and if no message were read from Mr. Wilson on this occasion it would be misunderstood and misconstrued by those present at the dinner.

Mr. Wilson replied to this letter saying that he could not, in the circumstances, change the opinion previously formed by him on this subject; that for him to give a letter that would appear to endorse Cox would be construed as an endorsement of his renomination in 1924, and he would consider Cox’s renomination as the suicide of the Democratic Party. He addressed Mr. Tumulty substantially in these words: “My dear Tumulty: I would like to do this to accomodate you, but this must be considered as final. I cannot do it.”

After receiving Mr. Wilson’s letter, Mr. Tumulty telephoned several times to Mrs. Wilson saying what a pity it would be and how it would be misunderstood if Mr. Wilson would not give this message. He begged Mrs. Wilson to try to get Mr. Wilson to change his mind.

A day or two before the Jefferson Day Banquet Mr. Tumulty called at the Wilson residence and had a visit with Mr. Wilson. Mrs. Wilson was absent. She came in, however, just as Mr. Tumulty was leaving. She went up to Mr. Wilson’s room and asked him if Mr. Tumulty had bothered him any more about the Jefferson Day Dinner, to which Mr. Wilson replied: “No, the subject was not mentioned. That is like Tumulty. When I write and tell him anything is final, he never mentions the subject again.”

Several days afterwards I cautioned Mr. Wilson not to worry, as worry would interfere with his sleep, and I asked him whether he had had a good night. He said: “No, not very good.” And then he emphasized the point that he was not worrying; that that was not the cause of his loss of sleep. He said: “I am not worrying about the Tumulty incident. If Tumulty had been my son and had acted as he did, I would have done the same thing.”

A few days after the publication of the whole matter, the question of Tumulty came up and I expressed regret that he had broken with him, as his enemies would be sure to say that he could not get along with any one. He abruptly told me that I did not know what I was talking about; that it was none of my business. Several days after this conversation, while in bed, he asked Mrs. Wilson and his colored attendant to please step out of the room, as he wanted to talk over some private matters with me. After they had left the room, he said: “I want to apologize for the way in which I spoke to you the other day. I want you to read these letters, which will explain the whole situation.” He then showed me the letters to which I have referred to above.

Original Format

Diary

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/D06452.pdf

Citation

Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Cary T. Grayson Diary,” 1922 May 22, WWP16429, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.