Respectfully submitted,
(Signed) Frederick A. Cook
To the President,
The White House,
Washington, D. C.
Thousands of requests similar to those reproduced below have gone to various officials in Washington. Such appeals demand action.
Chicago, May 7, 1913
Mr. Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir:
Rear Admiral Peary wears the stripes of the Navy, he is drawing a pension of $6,000.00 per year from the tax-payers—The National dictates of honor compel such a man to be clean morally—honest and upright officially. Dr. Cook has publicly made charges against Peary which relegate this Naval Officer to the rank of a common thief and degenerate. In his book, "My Attainment of the Pole," (Mitchell-Kennedy, N. Y.) there are specific charges made which call for an investigation. These charges have remained unanswered for three years—Why?
In the Polar controversy the flag has been dragged through muck, and this dishonor seems to rest upon a man for whose actions you are responsible.
The American people have a right to demand an investigation into the intrigue of the Peary Polar Propaganda, and as one believing in justice at the bar of public opinion, I ask that you take steps to clear this cloud in the eyes of the world.