The intimate papers of Colonel House arranged as a narrative by Charles Seymour.

SIR EDWARD GREY

195

tional honors, with no apparent sense of his own importance,
driven, over-hard perhaps, by what he felt to be his duty and
taking no credit therefor. As statesman, moreover, the British Foreign Secretary approached House's ideal, supremely
distinguished as he was by sincerity of purpose and honesty
of method; above all a diplomat who did not regard diplomacy as a mysterious intrigue, but rather as a means by which
the representatives of different states could discuss frankly
the coincidence or the clash of national interests and reach a
peaceable understanding. House was then and always convinced that foreign policy should be conducted like personal
business, from which it differed only in degree of importance;
and he wanted to introduce into diplomacy the characteristics of personal intercourse, with its code of individual honesty and friendliness. In Grey he discovered a man with
whom he could treat upon this basis. We shall find them discussing the most delicate points of national policy with the
frankness that officials of the same department of a government might use.
Their first conversation was of importance, for it led in
the autumn to an understanding on the two vexatious questions at issue. House explained Wilson's Mexican policy and
attitude on the tolls exemptions; Grey intimated that British
support of Huerta was neither definite nor final.
'July 3, 1913: While Lord Crewe and Page were discussing
the eradication of the hookworm in India and other countries [recorded House], Sir Edward and I fell to talking of the
Mexican situation. I told him the President did not want
to intervene and was giving the different factions every possible opportunity to get together. He wished to know
whether the President was opposed to any particular faction.
I thought it was immaterial, as far as our Government was
concerned, which faction was in power, if order was maintained. I thought our Government would have recognized