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

SPRING-RICE TO SIR EDWARD GREY 329

If other Powers are willing to make suggestions in order to
effect an agreement on the basis of these two principles, then
negotiations could begin. If they have other proposals to
make, it would be as well that they should be made known as
soon as possible for reasons given above, and the P[resident]
would be perfectly willing to facilitate exchange of ideas as
friendly intermediary, without expression of opinion.
G[ermany] is doing her best to put E[ngland] in the wrong
by causing a belief that E[ngland] is rejecting G[ermany]'s
friendly overtures.
It would be dangerous for E[ngland] to persist in non
possumus attitude. Although it is fully understood that she
cannot negotiate without knowledge of other two, it would
be to advantage of all three that G[ermany] should be forced
to show her hand.
E. G.'s two principles would have sympathy of world.
Colonel House to the President
NEW YORK, September 22, 1914
DEAR GOVERNOR:
Bernstorff came to see me again yesterday in order to hear
the outcome of Spring-Rice's visit.
I told him that Sir Cecil hesitated to go into a conference
without the consent of his Government and without the
knowledge of their allies. Bernstorff thought this reasonable.
He justified his own action by saying that he thought the
instructions from his Government warranted him in taking
up negotiations of this sort....
Bernstorff thought it was not too early to begin conversations, for the reason that they could hardly bring results in
any event for some months.
Sir Cecil and I agreed that the Kaiser would probably be
willing to accept such terms as England would be glad to
concede, provided the German war party would permit him.
The most serious difficulty that will be encountered during