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

378 INTIMATE PAPERS OF COLONEL HOUSE

Colonel House to the President
LONDON, February 18, 1915
DEAR GOVERNOR:... I had a conference with Sir Edward Grey last Tuesday
evening, and again yesterday at which the Prime Minister
and Page were present.
Both Asquith and Grey thought it would be footless for me
to go to Berlin until the present German enveloping movement in the east is determined. It looks, for the moment, bad
for the Russians; and they do not want me to be in Berlin at
such a time. If this movement fails and things get again
deadlocked, they think I should take that opportunity to go
there....
I put the matter plainly to both Asquith and Sir Edward,
asking their advice as to what to do, telling them we were all
interested alike in bringing about the desired result, and it
was a question of how best to do it. They accepted this
position and Sir Edward thought, at the moment, I should
write to Zimmermann along the lines that I did.
The idea was that unless they at least conceded these two
points;,) the matter had as well be dropped until they were
willing to do so.
Sir Edward said that England would continue the war
indefinitely unless these cardinal points were agreed to....
I told them at yesterday's conference that it would not do
to close the door too tightly, for we must leave it ajar so it
could be widely opened if Germany really desired peace.
Asquith smiled and said, 'You will be a very clever man if
you can do that successfully.'
The situation grows hourly worse because of the German
manifesto in regard to merchantmen and the sowing of
1 Evacuation of invaded territory and guaranties for permanent peace.
2 On the day on which this letter was written, the German threat of
February 4 was to come into effect: that every enemy merchant ship
found in the war zone would be destroyed 'without its being always
possible to avert the dangers threatening the crews and passengers.'