"Second—We are convinced that the day will come when the people of Russia and France will find out that they are only doing the dirty work for England.
"Third—We expect from America absolutely fair play in all questions.
"These are my personal ideas, but a good many of my countrymen feel the same. Greetings.
"WILHELM, Kronprinz."
The Official British Explanation
By Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Great Britain
The State Department in Washington and the Foreign Office in London, by agreement, made public simultaneously on Jan. 10, 1915, the British reply to the American protest against the undue detention of American ships and cargoes seized for search for contraband. The answer, signed by Sir Edward Grey, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, was addressed to Walter Hines Page, the American Ambassador in London, who cabled it to Washington on Jan. 7. The note is preliminary, and was to be followed by a more detailed reply.
The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the American Ambassador.
FOREIGN OFFICE, Jan. 7, 1915.