Paul D. Cravath to the Secretary of the Treasury
Title
Paul D. Cravath to the Secretary of the Treasury
Creator
Cravath, Paul D. (Paul Drennan), 1861-1940
Identifier
WWP25145
Date
1918 August 24
Description
Lawyer writes that De Gersdorff is a loyal American and not a supporter of Germany.
Source
Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
World War, 1914-1918--German Americans
De Gersdorff, Carl A. (Carl August), 1865-1944
German Americans--History--19th century
Rumely, Edward A. (Edward Aloysius), 1882-1964
Contributor
Morgan Willer
Relation
WWP25143
WWP25144
Language
English
Provenance
Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Text
My dear Mr. Secretary:
Any impression that my partner Carl deGersdorff has been in any way associated with Pro-German activities is wholly wrong. His father came to this country soon after the revolution of 1848 because of his discontent with political conditions in Germany. He shared the political ideals of Carl Schurz, whose intimate friend he was. He attained a dignified position as a medical practitioner, first in Salem and later in Boston and won the respect and confidence of the communities in which he lived. His wife was a sister of the late Joseph H. Choate.
Carl deGersdorff lost his father while still a boy. He was brought up in Boston among his mother’s relatives and friends. He was educated at Harvard University where he was graduated from both the academic department and the law school.
Except for a clerkship of two years in Mr. Choate’s office and two years in business as a member of a New York banking firm, Mr. deGersdorff’s entire professional career has been in association with our firm, first as a clerk and for more than twenty years past as a partner.
Mr. deGersdorff has never been classed as a German-American. He knows no German excepting the smattering he picked up in college. His association with his German relatives has been neither intimate nor frequent. His acquaintance with Von Bernstoff was purely social and most casual. Von Bernstoff would probably not know him if he passed him on the street.
During the early part of the European war Mr. deGersdorff, while never swerving in his loyalty to this country, endeavored to maintain an attitude of neutrality, perhaps even of sympathy for the country in which his father was born, but he never in any way took part in Pro-German schemes or activities. He would have refrained from Pro-German activities if for no other reason than out of deference for the pronounced pro-ally sympathies of all of his partners.
As the War progressed Mr. deGersdorff found it increasingly difficult to maintain his sympathy for Germany and long before this country’s entrance into the War, he announced to his friends that he had reluctantly reached the conclusion that the good of the world required the defeat of Germany. His loyalty to this country has been unswerving. His son-in-law entered the army in the early months of the War. His only son, who is about seventeen years old, is taking military training and expects to enter the army as soon as his age will permit.
The small amount of professional business involving German interests transacted by our firm prior to this country’s entrance into the War, came to us, not because of Mr. deGersdorff’s membership in the firm, but simply as an incident to our firm’s somewhat complex contact with affairs in New York due to almost a century of uninterrupted professional activity. Speyer & Company have been numbered among our banking clients for more than thirty years. It happens that Mr. deGersdorff personally had little or no contact with them on any subject which in any way related to German plans or activities.
Our employment by Dr. Rumely in the spring of 1915 to represent him professionally in connection with his purchase of the “Evening Mail” grew out of our acquaintance with him while representing creditors and stockholders of a large manufacturing corporation bearing his name which had become insolvent. Our retainer was in no way influenced by Mr. deGersdorff’s membership in the firm and the business was in charge of a junior member of our office force who happened to have come into close contact with Dr. Rumely in connection with the affairs of the Rumely Company. Nothing requiring apology or defense resulted from our professional connection with the purchase of the Evening Mail--a connection which ceased prior to July 1, 1915, on the completion of Dr. Rumely’s purchase. I should add that we had no reason to suspect that any money of the German Government was used in the purchase of the Evening Mail.
Doubtless because of the fact that his father was born in Germany, Mr. deGersdorff seems to have been the subject of investigation, presumably, by the Federal Secret Service. Early in the spring of 1917 I was informed that a rumor that Mr. deGersdorff had recently visited Mexico on some mission for the German Government was under investigation. I was able to satisfy my informant, and, presumably through him, the person in charge of the investigation, that Mr. deGersdorff’s only recent visit to Mexico had not the remotest connection with Germany but was simply an incident to his presence in Texas to argue a case in the courts for the New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railroad Company for which our firm were counsel. If there are any other specific rumors of Pro-German activities on the part of Mr. deGersdorff, I am sure they are equally baseless.
I make the statements contained in this letter with absolute confidence because of my long and intimate association with Mr. deGersdorff and my conviction resulting from that association that he is a man of the highest integrity and the strictest loyalty. Indeed, I know no man of whose honesty, loyalty and patriotism I am more certain. This I know to be the view of his other partners.
I remain, as ever,
Very sincerely yours,
Paul D. Cravath
Hon. William G. McAdoo,
Secretary of the Treasury
Washington, DC
Any impression that my partner Carl deGersdorff has been in any way associated with Pro-German activities is wholly wrong. His father came to this country soon after the revolution of 1848 because of his discontent with political conditions in Germany. He shared the political ideals of Carl Schurz, whose intimate friend he was. He attained a dignified position as a medical practitioner, first in Salem and later in Boston and won the respect and confidence of the communities in which he lived. His wife was a sister of the late Joseph H. Choate.
Carl deGersdorff lost his father while still a boy. He was brought up in Boston among his mother’s relatives and friends. He was educated at Harvard University where he was graduated from both the academic department and the law school.
Except for a clerkship of two years in Mr. Choate’s office and two years in business as a member of a New York banking firm, Mr. deGersdorff’s entire professional career has been in association with our firm, first as a clerk and for more than twenty years past as a partner.
Mr. deGersdorff has never been classed as a German-American. He knows no German excepting the smattering he picked up in college. His association with his German relatives has been neither intimate nor frequent. His acquaintance with Von Bernstoff was purely social and most casual. Von Bernstoff would probably not know him if he passed him on the street.
During the early part of the European war Mr. deGersdorff, while never swerving in his loyalty to this country, endeavored to maintain an attitude of neutrality, perhaps even of sympathy for the country in which his father was born, but he never in any way took part in Pro-German schemes or activities. He would have refrained from Pro-German activities if for no other reason than out of deference for the pronounced pro-ally sympathies of all of his partners.
As the War progressed Mr. deGersdorff found it increasingly difficult to maintain his sympathy for Germany and long before this country’s entrance into the War, he announced to his friends that he had reluctantly reached the conclusion that the good of the world required the defeat of Germany. His loyalty to this country has been unswerving. His son-in-law entered the army in the early months of the War. His only son, who is about seventeen years old, is taking military training and expects to enter the army as soon as his age will permit.
The small amount of professional business involving German interests transacted by our firm prior to this country’s entrance into the War, came to us, not because of Mr. deGersdorff’s membership in the firm, but simply as an incident to our firm’s somewhat complex contact with affairs in New York due to almost a century of uninterrupted professional activity. Speyer & Company have been numbered among our banking clients for more than thirty years. It happens that Mr. deGersdorff personally had little or no contact with them on any subject which in any way related to German plans or activities.
Our employment by Dr. Rumely in the spring of 1915 to represent him professionally in connection with his purchase of the “Evening Mail” grew out of our acquaintance with him while representing creditors and stockholders of a large manufacturing corporation bearing his name which had become insolvent. Our retainer was in no way influenced by Mr. deGersdorff’s membership in the firm and the business was in charge of a junior member of our office force who happened to have come into close contact with Dr. Rumely in connection with the affairs of the Rumely Company. Nothing requiring apology or defense resulted from our professional connection with the purchase of the Evening Mail--a connection which ceased prior to July 1, 1915, on the completion of Dr. Rumely’s purchase. I should add that we had no reason to suspect that any money of the German Government was used in the purchase of the Evening Mail.
Doubtless because of the fact that his father was born in Germany, Mr. deGersdorff seems to have been the subject of investigation, presumably, by the Federal Secret Service. Early in the spring of 1917 I was informed that a rumor that Mr. deGersdorff had recently visited Mexico on some mission for the German Government was under investigation. I was able to satisfy my informant, and, presumably through him, the person in charge of the investigation, that Mr. deGersdorff’s only recent visit to Mexico had not the remotest connection with Germany but was simply an incident to his presence in Texas to argue a case in the courts for the New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railroad Company for which our firm were counsel. If there are any other specific rumors of Pro-German activities on the part of Mr. deGersdorff, I am sure they are equally baseless.
I make the statements contained in this letter with absolute confidence because of my long and intimate association with Mr. deGersdorff and my conviction resulting from that association that he is a man of the highest integrity and the strictest loyalty. Indeed, I know no man of whose honesty, loyalty and patriotism I am more certain. This I know to be the view of his other partners.
I remain, as ever,
Very sincerely yours,
Paul D. Cravath
Hon. William G. McAdoo,
Secretary of the Treasury
Washington, DC
Original Format
Letter
To
McAdoo, W. G. (William Gibbs), 1863-1941
Files
Collection
Citation
Cravath, Paul D. (Paul Drennan), 1861-1940, “Paul D. Cravath to the Secretary of the Treasury,” 1918 August 24, WWP25145, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.