Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-21
ARCHIBALD DEFENDS
HIS COURSE Of ACTION
Denies He Connived in Any Way
to Break United States Neu-
trality Laws.
In Carrying Notes He Says He Did
as Other Travellers Crossing
the Ocean.

NEW YORK. September FLAMES
F. J. Archibald, the American CORE
spondent who carried message from
DR.. Constantin T. Dumba. Austro-Hu
garian ambassador at Washington, ad-
dressed to Baron Won Burian, Austrian
foreign minister, which led to a re-
quest from the United States for the
ambassadors recall, has issued a state
ment here in which he denies that he
connived in any way to break the neu-
| trality laws of the United States or
! was an official dispatch bearer.
The request for DR.. Dumba's recall
was made after the ambassadors let
ter was seized by British authorities
when Archibald was intercepted at
| Falmouth.
Declines to Discuss Affair.
| On his return here aboard the steam
ship Rotterdam, Mr.. Archibald declined
! to discuss the affair in detail until he
had consulted his lawyer and had ac-
quainted himself. as he explained. with
| what had been said in this country
Having conferred with his attorney,
Mr. Archibald issued formal state
ment.
DIR Dumba's letter. said Mr.. Archi-
bald was given to me most openly at
| the steamers gansplank just before
sailing. Hundreds of persons were
about and there was not the slightest
suggestion of secrecy. OF it's contents
| I had absolutely no knowledge. I sup
posed of course. that it simply referred
to my work / feel that the very open
manner in which the letter WAS given
me shows that DR.. Dumba had no in
of irc ma or m n q
shield for the transmission of any
improper letters.
Il did not consciously break either
the spirit or the letter of my passport.
or of any law. but merely did what
! every traveller crossing the ocean
does, by carrying notes or small pack
ages as an accommodation to friends.
just as I did when | returned from
eral letters and official dispatches to
our State Department for Ambassador
Gerard. and packages for Mrs. Gerard
and others. OF course. in doing this
for Ambassador and Mrs. Gerard I did
! it simply as a matter of friendship,
precisely as carried the letters in
| this case"
Says He Sought Letters.
Mr.. Archibald stated that before leaving
| fer belligerent territory Ito do field
work with armies engaged in the war.
he sought letters of introduction and
| recommendation. These letters. most
| of which were written in German, he
| said, were delivered to him at his hotel
| in New York.
Feeling that there might be a strong
lanti-American sentiment in Germany
Mr. Archibald declared and not know
those travelling with me. l asked
Prince Hatzfeldt to prepare me an
open letter stating that was friendly
to their cause"
| According to Mr.. Archibald. he sug-
| gested, almost word for word, the
letter Prince Hatzfeldt wrote. which,
| he said, ne intended to use only in the
event we were subjected to any local
hostile demonstration" Archibald as
| serted he did not know the contents
| Of the other letters. Ambassador Dunn
ba's letter, he said. was delivered to
| him at the steamer by the ambassa-
! doris secretary. while the packages he
carried for Count Won Bernstorff, the
| Papen. German military attache at
Washington. were delivered at his
| hotel.
| Secret service men. who interviewed
tine. according to Archibald. merely
| asked II he had been presented with a
gold-headed cane or had been asked to
deliver cane to any one in Europe
before his departure. Upon his assur-
| ance. he said, that he had not the Off
| GERS asked no further questions.
Although James F. ]. Archibald has
been expected in Washington today
| according to New York dispatches, the
State Department and the Department
Of Justice profess to have no knowl-
edge of his movements. At the State
Department, it was said today, Mr.
Archibald had made no engagement for
an interview. At the Department OF
Justice no reports had been received
on the Archibald case today at all, and
officials there said they would take nc
steps in the matter until after the
State Department had finished its
end of the discovery of the, Dunn ba
papers in Mr.. Archibald's possession.
Frank J. Hogan, the Washington at
torney. who has been engaged as coun-
sci for Mr.. Archibald, is still in New
York. according to employees of his
| Office.