“Mr. Gerard has been accused of not being forceful enough in dealing with the Berlin Foreign Office.  In Berlin he has been criticised for just the opposite.  It has been stated frequently that he was too aggressive.  The Ambassador’s position was that he must carry out Mr. Wilson’s ideas.  So he tried for days and weeks to impress officials with the seriousness of the situation.  At the critical point in the negotiations various unofficial diplomats began to arrive and they seriously interfered with negotiations.  One of these was a politician who through his credentials from Mr. Bryan met many high officials, and informed them that President Wilson was writing his notes for ’home consumption.’  Mr. Gerard, however, appealed to Washington to know what was meant by the moves of this American with authority from Mr. Bryan.  This was the beginning of the reason for Secretary Bryan’s resigning.

“Secretary Bryan had informed also former Ambassador Dumba that the United States would never take any position against Germany even though it was hinted so in the Lusitania note.  Dumba telegraphed this to Vienna and Berlin was informed immediately.  Because of Mr. Gerard’s personal friendship and personal association with Secretary of State von Jagow and Under Secretary of State Zimmermann, he was acquainted with Secretary Bryan’s move.  He telegraphed to President Wilson and the result was the resignation of Mr. Bryan.”

In December, the Ancona was torpedoed and it was officially explained that the act was that of an Austrian submarine commander.  Wilson’s note to Vienna brought about a near rupture between Austria-Hungary and Germany because Austria and Hungary at that time were much opposed to Germany’s submarine methods.  Although the submarines operating in the Mediterranean were flying the Austrian flag, they were German submarines, and members of the crews were German.  Throughout the life of the Emperor Franz Josef the Dual Monarchy was ruled, not from Vienna, but from Budapest by Count Stefan Tisza, the Hungarian Premier.  I was in Budapest at the time and one evening saw Count Tisza at his palace, which stands on the rocky cliff opposite the main part of Budapest, and which overlooks the valley of the Danube for many miles.  Tisza, as well as all Hungarians, is pro-American before he is pro-German.

“To think of trouble between Austria-Hungary and the United States is sheer nonsense,” he said in his quiet but forceful manner.  “I must confess, however, that we were greatly surprised to get the American note.  It is far from our intention to get into any quarrel with America.  Perhaps I should not say quarrel, because I know it would not be that, but of course matters do not depend upon us entirely.  There is no reason for any trouble over the Ancona question.  It must be settled satisfactorily,” he said emphatically, “not only from the standpoint of the United States, but from our standpoint.”