Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-10
Sent to Japan and Russia
by the President.
Asks Them to Open Direct Ne.
gotiations for Peace. Y:
Offers His Best Services In Any Way That
May Be Acceptable 10 Then.

washington, June 9.-An identical
note. the text Of which by authority OF
the President was made public late to-
night, at the White House by Sec. Loeb.
has been forwarded to the governments
of Russia and Japan by President
Roosevelt.
The following is the text Of the dis
patch as given out:
ION June S, the following dispatch
was sent by the President, through Dip
lOmatic channels to the Japanese and
Russian governments.
The President feels that the time
has come when in the interest Of all
mankind, he must endeavor to see If 1t
Is not possible to bring and end to the
trouble and lamentable conflict now be-
ing waged. With both Russia and Jap
an the United States has inherited ties
Of friendship and good will. 1t hopes
for the prosperity and welfare of each
and it feels that the progress of the
world is set back by the war between
these two great nations. The President
accordingly urges the Russian and Jap
anese governments not only for their
own sakes. but in the interest of the
whole civilized world, to open direct
other.
The President suggests that these
peace negotiations be conducted d.
rectly and exclusively between the
belligerentS and in other words that
there may be a meeting Of Russian and
Japanese plenipotentiaries or delegates
without any intermediary, in order to
see if it is not possible for these rep
resentatives of the two powers to agree
to terms Of peace. The President earn
estly asks that the (Russion), Japan
ese) government do now agree to such
a meeting, and is ASKING he Japan
ese), (Russian) goyernuCut likewise to
agree.
While the Presiden: does not feel
that any intermediary should be call
ed in in respect to the peace negotia-
lions themselves, he is entirely willing
to do what he properly can If the two
powers concerned feel that his services
will be OF aid in arranging the pre-
liminaris as ITO the time and place OF
meeting. But if even these prelimin-
aries can be arranged directly between
the two powers, or in any other way,
the President will be glad, as his sole
purpose Is to bring about a meeting
which the whole civilized world will
pray may result in peace
The foregoing note was forwarded to
the Russian and Japanese governments.
yesterday afternoon. 1t is rendered es-
pecially significant by the fact that 1t
was prepared and sent only after as
surance had been received from Toxic
and st. Petersburg that such propO-
Sition would be welcome. While both
Count Cassina. the Russian ambassa-
dor. and Minister Takahira. of Japan.
were cognizant of the nature of the
Eote, it was not sent to their respective
through them. 1t was ca
bled by direction of the President to
st. Petersburg and to Toxic and there
delivered directly to the Russian and
Japanese governments respectively by
Ambassador Meyer and Minister Girls
com.
A formal reply to the note may not
be received for several days. but, as al
ready made clear informal assurances
that it would be welcomed are already
at hand. In view of the significant char
acter of the document, and Of the atti-
tude toward it which both Russia and
Japan have assumed, 1t is regarded in
official and diplomatic circles as the
first firm and decisive step toward ul-
innate peace.
When President Roosevelt left WASH
ington, today. on a two days trip to
Virginia, he was confident that the re-
suit Of the International negotiations
for peace in the Far East had been
successful and that the final blow In
the Russo-Japanese war had been
struck.
While extreme reticence is manifest
ed in every official and diplomatio
quarter. it Is known authoratively that
the exchanges which have been In pr5-
gress for the past 10 days, between the
government and the pow
ers Of the world, including the two bel
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