“As last autumn, he (President Wilson) can always, through his personal influence, either force the House of Representatives to take his point of view against their better judgment, or, on the other hand, in the Senate can overthrow the resolution already voted in favour of prohibiting the export of guns and munitions. In these circumstances any attempt to persuade individual States to vote parallel resolutions through their legislative bodies would offer no advantages apart from the internal difficulties which the execution of this plan presents.”
With that letter Dr. Dumba enclosed a memorandum adroitly suggesting the use of England’s seizure of ships as a means of inciting Americans to support embargo legislation.
“President Wilson” (he wrote) “will not hear of Congress laying an embargo, for the reason, as he clearly explains, that to do so would be unneutral. The result of this is to stultify all attempts at agitation based on embargo. This is a matter entirely in President Wilson’s hands. It is, of course, always possible that, despite the President’s declaration, a resolution might be laid before Congress contemplating the prohibition of the export of munitions as a measure of reprisal against England for her illegal seizure of American ships; but we should indulge in no illusions as to the success likely to attend such an enterprise.”
HOLDING THE CLUB TO CONGRESS
The German agents, as has been told, did not cease their efforts to arouse the sentiment of the country, hoping to force Congress and the President to take steps in the direction that the Germans wished.
The fear which a Representative in Congress has of displeasing his constituents was a factor carefully taken into account by the German agents. Every means of impressing upon a Representative the belief that the men who voted for him wanted an embargo were used. These were the motives behind a plan for holding an embargo conference in the Middle West in the summer of 1915. The details were carefully developed and the conference would have been held had not the secret workings been divulged through the publication of the Albert papers. One letter addressed to Dr. Albert by Herr P. Reiswitz, in Chicago, reveals the scheme in detail and shows that Count von Bernstorff was aware of the inner organization. The letter, dated July 22, 1915, says in part:
“Everything else concerning the proposed embargo conference you will find in the enclosed copy of the report to the Ambassador. A change has, however, come up, as the mass meeting will have to be postponed on account of there being insufficient time for the necessary preparations. It will probably be held here in about two weeks.