President's Reaction to Sinking of Lusitania
Title
President's Reaction to Sinking of Lusitania
Creator
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Identifier
WWP15651
Date
1919
Description
Note by Cary T. Grayson about a story President Woodrow Wilson and the sinking of the Lusitania.
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
NOTES.
Mr. Melville Stone, the head of the Associated Press, in January, 1919, while in conversation with me and Colonel Seale Harris of the Army Medical Corps in Paris stated:
“President Wilson has been unjustly accused of not taking counsel with others. A circumstance to refute this occurred soon after the sinking of the Lusitania, which I doubt but a few people except myself know about. As you know, my son went down on the Lusitania, and I was very strongly in favor of America entering the war at once. President Wilson sent for me to come to the White House and he said to me that he had a very serious situation in which he wanted my help. He wanted me to ascertain through the Associated Press throughout the country whether the country would back him up at this time in declaring war against Germany. President Wilson said to me: “I want you to put yourself in my position and after you have gathered the sentiment of the people through your representatives of the Associated Press, I want you to tell me frankly then whether you think the country is prepared and would back me up in declaring war. I complied with his wishes and at the end of the week came back to the White House and told him that much as I personally was in favor of going into war, I had to inform him that the country was not ready for war, and and that if I were in his place - and he had asked me to put myself in his place - I could not declare war now. I told him, however, that the sentiment was growing in favor of intervention but it was not ripe at that time.
Mr. Melville Stone, the head of the Associated Press, in January, 1919, while in conversation with me and Colonel Seale Harris of the Army Medical Corps in Paris stated:
“President Wilson has been unjustly accused of not taking counsel with others. A circumstance to refute this occurred soon after the sinking of the Lusitania, which I doubt but a few people except myself know about. As you know, my son went down on the Lusitania, and I was very strongly in favor of America entering the war at once. President Wilson sent for me to come to the White House and he said to me that he had a very serious situation in which he wanted my help. He wanted me to ascertain through the Associated Press throughout the country whether the country would back him up at this time in declaring war against Germany. President Wilson said to me: “I want you to put yourself in my position and after you have gathered the sentiment of the people through your representatives of the Associated Press, I want you to tell me frankly then whether you think the country is prepared and would back me up in declaring war. I complied with his wishes and at the end of the week came back to the White House and told him that much as I personally was in favor of going into war, I had to inform him that the country was not ready for war, and and that if I were in his place - and he had asked me to put myself in his place - I could not declare war now. I told him, however, that the sentiment was growing in favor of intervention but it was not ripe at that time.
Original Format
Letter
Files
Collection
Citation
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “President's Reaction to Sinking of Lusitania,” 1919, WWP15651, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.