700.0011 R 34/5

Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation with the German Ambassador (Wiedfeldt), December 22, 1922

[Extract]

In response to the request made by the Secretary at his last interview, the German Ambassador delivered to the Secretary a written memorandum of the German proposal not to engage in war for a generation without a plebiscite. This memorandum was as follows:

[Here follows text of undated memorandum from the German Embassy printed on page 205.]

The Secretary called attention to the statement that the proposal in the memorandum that the Governments mentioned should “promise the Government of the United States.” He asked why [Page 208] the United States was introduced in this way. The Ambassador said that they desired us to have some relation to it to give the proposal an added sanction. The Secretary suggested that it would not be probable that the United States would assume any responsibility in the matter. The Ambassador said that he understood that. The Ambassador said that he had given to the Secretary the proposal in the exact terms in which he had received it from his Government; that he had not cabled his Government for any further instructions since his interview with the Secretary.

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