File No. 841.731/18
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page)
Washington, August 15, 1914, 5 p.m.
[Telegram]
The Western Union Telegraph Company has requested the Department to make such representations to the British Government as will admit of a more reasonable attitude with respect to censorship of cable messages by the War Office at London.
The company claims that by reason of unnecessary exactions in the way of full addresses and signatures to every message, no matter how innocent its character, the capacity of the working Atlantic [Page 506] cables has been cut down just 50 per cent on account of the fact that these requirements have served to exactly double the number of words of the average message, which not only reduces the capacity of the cables at a time when the demand upon the cables exceeds their capacity, but also doubles the cost to the public without any possible apparent advantage to the military operations in England.
It is urged by the company that requiring full addresses in cases of well-known firms and full signatures is wholly unnecessary. The company also protests against the action of the British censors forbidding company to make inquiries respecting the delivery of messages. You will attempt to secure modification of reported British restrictions mentioned herein.