Evening star., 1915-12-02
WAR ZONE ENTRY
DENIED FORD PARTY
Secretary Lansing to Issue
Passports to Neutral
Countries Only.
NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS
THUS FAR VERY SMALL
State Department to Guard Against
wolf in Sleeps Clothing" Get
ting Aboard Ship.

toudN uidl lllSiiOSl9 VI tiiN PSu~N
party planning to sail on the
ships chartered by Henry Ford
will not be given passports to
belligerent countries, but only
to neutral states in Europe.
Secretary Lansing made it
plain that passports were given
to American citizens for belliger-
ent countries only when business
made it absolutely necessary to
visit there or when they were in
vited by some governmental
agency in these countries.
Mr.. Lansing explained that no
distinction was being drawn be-
tween members Of the peace party
and other American citizens and
that the general rule of the De
partment of State was being ap-
Piled.
The ruling, however, was gen
eraly interpreted as meaning that
the United States does not regard
unofficial missions in efforts to
make peace by private persons as
business OF an urgent character.
Few Would Visit Warning Nations.
Very few applications have been
made for passports to visit belligerent
countries. the plan of the peace party
being to assemble convention in one
of the neutral countries and put into
operation it's plans. using a neutral
capital as a base.
Officials of the passport bureau have
not held up any passports for persons
Of American birth but 1t was admitted
today there have been the usual diff
culties with reference to naturalized
persons and the compliance with State
Department technical regulations with
reference to photographs.
Inez Milholland Boissevain, the suf-
fragist, was refused passport be-
cause her husband is citizen of a.
foreign country. The names Of others
who may have experienced difficulty
in getting passports were not dfScloS-
ed
Ford Plan Not Sanctioned.
Officials of the State Department said
today there seemed to be some impress
sion in Europe that the United States
government in some way was sanction
ing the Ford plan. and they emphasized
that there was not the slightest ground
for such an intimation.
Each application for passport will
be subjected to the closest scrutiny: it
being feared, as one official said, that
"a wolf in Sleeps clothing" might get
aboard the ship and while playing the
part of an advocate of peace be in
reality spy. The department is deter
happen.
The State Department does not con-
template that it could stop wireless
messages being sent out from a neutral
European country calling the soldiers
from the trenches, but the belief was
expressed today that such messages
would necessarily be received in bellig-
erent countries by official government
stations and would PROMPTLY be sup
pressed
Might Violate Law.
Legal authorities IN the State Depart :
men expressed the opinion today that
il the peace party went to any beIlie-
erent country and attempted to stop
the war it might be considered bv the
country involved as promoting sedition
and treason The State Department
has refused fequest to send an agent
to New York for the special purpose Of
issuing passports to members of the
party.
The number of applications for pass
ports received so far is very small
and Ford himself has sent no applica-
tion. Only two more days remain be-
fore the peace ship Is scheduled to sail
and it is considered doubtful that a
great number of passports can be is
sued by Saturday unless the depart-
ment receives a large number TODAY
and before noon tomorrow. Those who
accompany the peace party, it was
said, will have to make their applica-
tions for passports in identicaIly the
same manner as any other American
citizen. The department recognizes no
special privilege in the issuance of
passports.