763.72/3312c
The Secretary of State to President Wilson
Dear Mr. President: The British Ambassador called upon Mr. Phillips92a this morning and asked that you be advised privately that he had received a message from the Duke of Devonshire, Governor-General of Canada, expressing, not only on his own behalf but on behalf of both parties and the people of Canada, the intensity of their feeling of admiration for the course which you have taken.
Apparently it is the policy of the British Government to suppress to a considerable extent the press reports of the tremendous enthusiasm [Page 594] in the British Empire, not only in Government circles but in all classes of society including the labor element, fearing that the outburst of enthusiasm, which has in fact occurred, if advertised too much, might not be desirable from the point of view of this country. Sir Cecil Spring Rice therefore has informed the Duke of Devonshire that his message to you is being communicated unofficially through me.
With assurances [etc.]
- William Phillips, Assistant Secretary of State.↩