William Jennings Bryan to Woodrow Wilson

Title

William Jennings Bryan to Woodrow Wilson

Creator

Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925

Identifier

WWP18113

Date

1913 October 22

Description

William Jennings Bryan writes to Woodrow Wilson about the Mexico situation.

Source

Wilson Papers, Library of Congress, Library of Congress, Washington, District of Columbia

Subject

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Correspondence

Text

Dear Mr. President

I will have ready by this afternoon a rough draft of the paper which you asked me to prepare to be sent to such of the leading Powers of Europe as you may think best. I am not satisfied with it and have not yet submitted it to Mr. Moore. I thought I had better see first whether it conforms to your ideas before asking Mr. Moore to put it in diplomatic language.
In view of the fact that the election is only four days off and that it would probably be impossible for us to secure any affirmative answer on the part of other nations before the election, I find myself drawn more and more to the conclusion that we had better have the note ready and send it out the day after the election, so as to forestall any recognition of Huerta as an elected President. Great Britain has announced that her recognition was temporary and was only intended to extend up to the time of the election, and I think the British Foreign Office expressed the opinion that the other recognitions were of the same character. I think we would have a much better chance of securing cooperation if we asked them to refrain from recognizing than if we asked them to withdraw before the election the recognition already extended. When we say that the elections to be held next Sunday will have no moral weight and should have no legal effect, we are predicting, and prediction has not the weight of an assertion based upon an act already done.
The morning papers indicate that Diaz will be forced to retire and, according to Lind’s despatch of last evening, Huerta’s candidacy is likely to be announced today; but as it is barely possible that he may prefer to be elected without being a candidate, instead of announcing himself, we might find our statement weakened if made before the election, if we had to assume his candidacy or allege it without any positive statement from him.
I submit these things for your consideration. If you desire the statement issued at once, please make such changes as you see fit, and then I will ask Mr. Moore to give us the benefit of his judgment as to phraseology. I am staying at the house this forenoon and may not come down this afternoon, owing to a sore throat, which came on yesterday and now makes it difficult for me to talk.

With renewed assurances of my great respect, I am, my dear Mr. President,
WJ Bryan


The President,
The White House.
Dictated toand signed by
RF Rose

Original Format

Letter

To

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Temp00595.pdf

Tags

Citation

Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925, “William Jennings Bryan to Woodrow Wilson,” 1913 October 22, WWP18113, First Year Wilson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.