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

456 INTIMATE PAPERS OF COLONEL HOUSE

ened to make it worse. Colonel House was anxious that
President Wilson should comprehend the difficulties which
Sir Edward Grey faced, how hard he was pressed by British
opinion and the Admiralty, and how important it was that
the United States remain on friendly terms with the Allies.
Whatever the irritation caused by the restriction of American
trade, House never wavered in his conviction that our welfare was bound up in German defeat. All this Ambassador
Page had urged in many long letters. But the very number
and length of the letters, touched as they were by pro-Ally
emotion, lessened the influence of the Ambassador, who, in
Washington, seemed more like the spokesman of Allied interests than the representative of the American Government.
As House realized acutely, a purely objective summary of the
situation with emphasis upon American interests would carry
more weight.
'March 4, 1915: Yesterday [wrote House], when Page was
drawing up his despatch to the President asking that he do
nothing for the moment concerning the proposed blockade of
Germany, he had a lot of things in it which I advised eliminating. It was the strongest sort of pro-British argument,
and I knew it would weaken his influence both with the State
Department and with the President. He reluctantly cut it
down to a short statement....'
Colonel House to the President
LONDON, May 25, 1915
DEAR GOVERNOR:... There is nothing new to report here, and it looks as if
things might be settling down for a long war.... I want very
much to see you and to go over the situation in person. There
are so many things that cannot be written, and I think it
would be well worth while for me to make the trip even if
it is necessary to return within a short time.