Chapter XLI: Appendix: B

TEXT OF UNITED STATES REPLY TO AUSTRIA.

On the 18th of September, 1918, the Secretary of State made public the official text of the letter he sent, to Mr. W. A. F. Ekengren, the Swedish Minister, in charge of Austro-Hungarian affairs, conveying President Wilson's rejection of the Austrian peace proposals. It reads as follows:--

"Sir,--I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note,
dated September 16, communicating to me a note from the Imperial
Government of Austria-Hungary, containing a proposal to the
Government of all the belligerent States to send delegates to a
confidential and unbinding discussion on the basic principles
for the conclusion of peace. Furthermore, it is proposed that
the delegates would be charged to make known to one another the
conception of their Governments regarding these principles, and
to receive analogous communications, as well as to request and
give frank and candid explanations on all those points which
need to be precisely defined.

"In reply, I beg to say that the substance of your communication
has been submitted to the President, who now directs me to
inform you that the Government of the United States feels that
there is only one reply which it can make to the suggestion of
the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Government. It has repeatedly, and
with entire candor, stated the terms upon which the United
States would consider peace, and can and will entertain no
proposal for a conference upon the matter concerning which it
has made its position and purpose so plain.

"Accept, sir, the renewed assurances of my highest
consideration.

"(Signed), ROBERT LANSING,
"Secretary of State."

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Numerous obvious spelling errors have been corrected.

Archaic or unusual words and spellings have not been changed: beneficient, coronated, consolated, conspiration, devotedness, divers, elogius, enflame, enounced, equilibrist, eulogium, fervously, injustifiable, irresistable, instil, Magna Charta, planturous, plebiscit, plebiscitary, preconized, profonated, Roumanian, Servia, subtilties, tragical, treasonably, troublous, tutorage, unbiassed, uncontrovertible, unsufficiently, woful.

Both "bolshevik" and "bolchevik" appear and have not been changed.

Both "standpoint(s)" and "stand-point(s)" appear and have not been changed.

The following inconsistent usages appear and have not been changed: "Mother Country", "mother country", "mother-country", "Mother Land", "Mother land", "mother land", "Motherland".

Italic font is indicated by _xxx_ and bold font by =xxx=.

Page 34: Duplicate word "His" deleted (His Excellency had just).

Page 96 (and elsewhere): "per cent" changed to "per cent." for consistency.