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

LETTER FROM HERR ZIMMERMANN 339

heart, although there was a hint that, if the other side made
advances, Germany might not be unreasonable.
Herr Zimmermann to Colonel House
BERLIN, December 3, 1914
MY DEAR COLONEL:
Please pardon me for allowing so much time to elapse before answering your letter of September 5th which was besides long delayed in reaching me. I read what you wrote
with great interest, but it seems to me that considering the
turn events have taken so far and the apparently unabated
zeal of our opponents, the question of mediation has not yet
reached the stage for action.
When I say 'unabated zeal of our opponents' I have in
mind such utterances as appeared for instance in the London
correspondences of the New York Sun of October 9th and the
New York Tribune of October 16, announcing that 'to no
voice of the kind (i.e., mediation) will England, France or
Russia now listen.'
On the other hand, you are fully aware of the fact that we
have greatly appreciated the President's and your own good
offices. You may be perfectly sure that the President's offer
of mediation was received exactly in the spirit in which it was
meant and that it was not for a moment considered an empty
one.
Germany has always desired to maintain peace, as she
proves by a record of more than forty years. The war has
been forced upon us by our enemies and they are carrying it
on by summoning all the forces at their disposal, including
Japanese and other colored races. This makes it impossible
for us to take the first step towards making peace. The situation might be different if such overtures came from the other
side.
I do not know whether your efforts have been extended in
that direction and whether they have found a willing ear.