of American statesmen was strengthened not only in me but in our cause, and valuable foundations were laid for the impending peace negotiations.
My Relations with President Wilson.
In public discussion of President Wilson’s reply to Austria-Hungary the question has often been raised why it was that Wilson departed so quickly from his pro-Austrian standpoint; and all sorts of legends were spread in America about my relations to him. I will therefore state briefly the principal facts.
My personal relations with President Wilson began somewhat late. Though I reached Washington on May 9, 1918, I saw him for the first time on June 19, Mr. Charles Crane having brought me an invitation to meet him. In all my propaganda work abroad, I sought to influence statesmen in the first instance by public declarations, articles and interviews; and before I met the President I saw a number of people whom he was wont to meet and who had a certain influence with him. Discussion with men whose minds have thus been prepared is, naturally, more fruitful and takes less time.
At the beginning of the war President Wilson was made aware of our movement abroad by his Ministers, whom Mr. Voska informed. Unless I am mistaken, Voska also saw the President in person. In 1915 Wilson received a copy of the memorandum—containing a full account of our aims—which I had drawn up for Sir Edward Grey; and when General Štefánik went to America in 1917, he supplied the President and American official quarters, with information. Moreover, Wilson heard of our efforts and of our work from me and through Mr. Charles Crane; and I telegraphed to him from Kieff, at the end of January, an exhaustive analysis of his Fourteen Points. It was substantially identical with what I wrote in “The New Europe.” In addition, President Wilson received from Tokio in April 1918 the memorandum in which I expressed my views on Russia and on relations with the Bolshevists. Finally it must be said that the Siberian Anabasis of our troops had attracted his attention and had awakened his goodwill.
After reaching Washington in May, I was soon in regular touch with those members of the President’s Cabinet (and with their secretaries) who had to deal directly or indirectly with matters concerning us. The principal of these were-
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