Colonel House to Secretary of State
Title
Colonel House to Secretary of State
Creator
House, Edward Mandell, 1858-1938
Identifier
WWP25416
Date
1918 November 6
Description
Colonel House wants to be clear that he only reports war information to President Wilson
Source
Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
World War, 1914-1918--United States
Baker, Newton Diehl, 1871-1937
Warburton, Barclay Harding, 1866-1954
Contributor
Danna Faulds
Relation
WWP25415
Language
English
Provenance
Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Text
NR SPECIAL GREEN
Paris
Dated Nov 6, 1918
Recd, 12:26pm.
Secretary of State
Washington.
Number 52, November 6, 4pm.
For Polk from Auchincloss. Warburton, Military Attache in Paris has been of a great deal of assistance to us and has taken no end of trouble in our behalf. We have given him certain information respecting negotiations of the past week upon receiving assurances from him that he would not report the name to the Military Intelligence in Washington. Apparently he misunderstood a remark of Grew’s who said, in reply to Warburton’s inquiry, that a great deal of foreign intelligence received by the State Department was sent automatically to the Military Intelligence. Churchill has been cabling Warburton insisting on report of last week’s proceedings of Supreme War Council. Please explain to Churchill that Colonel House prefers that all information of this character shall be obtained from the President to whom he is reporting fully and that he is unwilling to give Warburton information concerning these negotiations to be reported to the military intelligence in Washington. I asked you to make this explanation in justice to Warburton.
EDWARD HOUSE.
LM
Dear Baker,
Will you not kindly give your personal attention to this?
W.W.
[note: the last short note, beginning “Dear Baker,” is handwritten at the bottom of a typed message.]
Paris
Dated Nov 6, 1918
Recd, 12:26pm.
Secretary of State
Washington.
Number 52, November 6, 4pm.
For Polk from Auchincloss. Warburton, Military Attache in Paris has been of a great deal of assistance to us and has taken no end of trouble in our behalf. We have given him certain information respecting negotiations of the past week upon receiving assurances from him that he would not report the name to the Military Intelligence in Washington. Apparently he misunderstood a remark of Grew’s who said, in reply to Warburton’s inquiry, that a great deal of foreign intelligence received by the State Department was sent automatically to the Military Intelligence. Churchill has been cabling Warburton insisting on report of last week’s proceedings of Supreme War Council. Please explain to Churchill that Colonel House prefers that all information of this character shall be obtained from the President to whom he is reporting fully and that he is unwilling to give Warburton information concerning these negotiations to be reported to the military intelligence in Washington. I asked you to make this explanation in justice to Warburton.
EDWARD HOUSE.
LM
Dear Baker,
Will you not kindly give your personal attention to this?
W.W.
[note: the last short note, beginning “Dear Baker,” is handwritten at the bottom of a typed message.]
Original Format
Letter
To
Lansing, Robert, 1864-1928
Files
Collection
Citation
House, Edward Mandell, 1858-1938, “Colonel House to Secretary of State,” 1918 November 6, WWP25416, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.