Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 6, 1904

Mr. Storer to Mr. Hay.

American Legation,
Vienna , February 15, 1904 .

No. 106.]

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your instruction arriving midnight Saturday.

At the earliest moment to-day I had an interview with the minister for foreign affairs. He had considered the questions involved, and the effect of the above instruction was that he declared that under the limitations heretofore expressed by him, and reported by me, arising necessarily from the slight importance of Austria-Hungary’s interests in the Far East in comparison with those of other powers, he was entirely in accord with the intentions, now understood, of your instruction and could find no fault with the view and wishes of the United States Government. He added he would at once instruct the diplomatic representatives of Austria-Hungary at St. Petersburg, Tokyo, and Peking in accordance with this view, and authorized me to cable this to you.

He repeated again that, in details, Austria-Hungary would not be disposed to take any initiative, but would be found in accord with whatever the powers more in interest might be able to agree upon.

I have, etc.,

Bellamy Storer.

[Note.—See circular of February 20, 1904, printed p. 2.]