Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-08
[Continued From First Pasc]


To the best of my knowledge l have
never met Mr.. Wood. Certainly he
made no effort to find out the truth
from me before dragging my name
into this affair.
II wish to deny generally and
specifically that l gave advance in
formation to MIR. Baruch or to any
body else in regard to the peace note.
did not know of the existence of
this note or that this government con-
templated the dispatch of such a note
until after printed copies of the note
had been given to representatives of
the press by the State Department.
was not consulted in the preparation
of the note by the President or by
anybody else. The conferences and
comm unications relating to the draft
ing of the note and its dispatch were
confidential between the President
and the Secretary of State. I knew
nothing of them whatever nor did
any other person employed in the
, executive office.
II have had no correspondence,
written or telegraphic, with Mr.. Ba-
ruch or anybody representing him, re-
garding this matter. / have never
talked with him or anybody repre-
scnting him, or with any one else
publicly or privately. with regard to
this matter.
Apparently the only insinuations
made against me are that l lunched
with or met Mr.. Baruch at the Bilt-
more hotel at or about the time of the
preparation of the PRESIDENTS sugges-
tlon that the European belligerents
state their peace terms. / have never
breakfasted, lunched, dined or taken
any meals with Mr.. Baruch. I have
met him only at several banquets and
large dinners, when many other per-
sons were present. l have never dis
cussed any peace or other note, either
when it was in prospect or after
person engaged in the purchase or
sale OF securities of any kind in the
stock market.
Denies Stock Market Sales
while this is a complete denial of
the oily insinuations which have been
made. wish to go further and say
that L have never engaged in stock
market sales or purchases myself nor
through brokers, friends or agents.
Il discussed the Presidents note
with no one, first, because my oath
or service requires that l make no
private use of official information and
secondly and specifically because as
have stated l had not seen the
Presidents note and did not know
That 1T was in preparation or even
contemplated.
"As | have already said in a pub
lie statement L have frequently re-
quested the President to keep me free
from any knowledge of impending
international moves so that 1 might
not be embarrassed by requests for
information from the newspaper cor
respondents who appeal to me in my
office constantly for such informa-
ton. The insinuations which have
been made, whether conceived in
political malice or merely through
misinformation, are wholly false and
without even the flimsiest basis. [
have not at any time since acting as
Mr.. Wilson's secretary, first when he
was Governor of New Jersey, and
later when he becs me President, been
interested in any stock transactions of
any Kind or given any information
TO any other person upon which pur-
chases or sales might be made. 1
wish to make this statement as sweep
ing and complete as 1 know how. I
am still waiting for Mr.. Woods pub
lie apology.
President Backs Secretary
II am authorized by the Presi-
dent to quote him as follows:
1 wish In justice to Mr.. Tumulty
to say that he has stated the exact
fact. He had no knowledge of the
note whatever until it was given out
for publication
Committee, announced that he had
no questions to ask and Represent
atiVe Campbell questioned Mr..
Tumulty.
DO you know who aided in the
preparation of this note?"
The President prepared and wrote
the note himself" said Mr.. Tumulty.
HE is an expert typewriter in ad-
dition to his other achievements"
Did any stenographer or clerk in
the Executive offices know of the ex-
istence of the note?'
II do not know"
Mr.. Tumulty added that he had
tried to find out how a leak could
have occurred but had been unable to
get any definite information.
1.-THE mere mechanics of preparing
the note might make it possible for
it to get out" he said. NV first
knowledge that a note had been given
out came from The Associated Press
correspondent at the White House on
the afternoon of December 20. He
told me when l returned from lunch
that the note had been given out. I
asked him what note and he said the
peace note"
Have you any information as TO
how the leak occurred?" Mr.. Campbell
asked.
Il have not" Mr. Tumulty replied.
ANY opinion L might have would be
speculative and would involve repu-
tations. | am very careful about maxi
ing statements in such circumstances" /"
Representative Chiperfield asked
Secretary Tumulty if he knew that
Alfred III. Curtis, of 80 West Seventy
ninth street, New York, former presi-
dent of the National Bank of North
America. was in fact the "A. Curtis
who wrote the letter. Mr.. Tumulty
said he did not.
Mr.. Tumulty added he did not think
the leak" could have occurred on the
note through any employe of the ex-
ecutive office. He then read q letter
from L. 4. Russell, editor of the New
ark Morning Ledger, referring to the
mysterious A. Curtis who wrote Rep
resentative Wood. author of the in
vestigation resolution.
What prompts me to write" said
the letter, ''is. l note one by name of
Curtis is brought in as having written
the Wood letter. using your name, and
L recall that on number OF occasions
under various suspicious circumstances
since | have been in Newark j have
received telephone calls from New
York from man calling himself Mr..
Curtis and alleging himself to be a
banker or broker. In each case he
undertook to give me tips of various
sorts of what was happening, not only
in the financial and industrial world,
but on One occasion called me up on
the telephone to tell me that he had
good reason TO believe that Dorothy