Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-01-09
who wrote the letter. Mr.. Tumulty
said he did not.
Win lie "a cur<is7'

Who Is "A. curtis?"
Mr.. Tumulty added he did not think
The leak" could have occurred on the
note through anv employe of the ex.
ecutive Office He then read a letter
from L. T. Russell, editor of the Ne
wark Morning Ledger, referring to the
mysterious "A. Curtis who wrote
Representative Wood author of the in.
vestisation resolution.
What prompts me to write said
the letter. SIS. 7 note. one by the name
of Curtis. brought in as having writ.
ten the Wood letter using your name
and | recall that on a number of &C.
casions under various suspicious cir
cumstances since 7 have been in Ne.
wark. have received telephone calls
from New York from man calling
himself Mr.. Curtis and alleging him
self to be 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 Dor.
cthy Arnold was at an Orange. N. j..
hotel During the Standard Oil strike
he called up almost daily giving what
nurported to be inside information and
also predicting future developments
Il made considerable inquiry but
could never identify or locate Mr. Cur
it's"
The committee decided to subpoena
Alfred Fl Curtis. After a few more
questions. Mr. Lansing was called.
Lansinn's Statement.
Possibly l had better start said
Secretary Lansing. by stating that
assume that confidential communica-
tons between the president and my
self are not part of the inquiry.
can give you physical history of the
note The draft Of the note was re-
ceived by me from the white house at
o'clock Monday afternoon. | called
Mr. Polk. counselor for the depart
attached TO my Office, and discussed
the three forms in which the note was
to be prepared and sent forth then
handed it to Mr. Woolsey enioining the
strictest secrecy that he might take it
TO the three confidential stenogra-
pliers. There it was to be prepared
and delivered to Mr.. Salmon. chief of
the index bureau.
The index clerk continued the sec.
rotary. was to encipher the note and
said that it would take so long to en-
cipher the three notes that he would
have to have an assistant. | directed
that he engage his most confidential
man for the work He did so, was Civ
en- the copies and the two men locked
themselves in the room They were
given the copies at o'clock and at
$50 Tuesday morning December 1a)
the notes were enciphered, delivered
to the telegraph room and sent.
"On Tuesday afternoon | discussed
with the president the time when the
note should be made public The rea-
son for secrecy was the courtesy due
to the nations who were TO receive the
note that it should not be published
here before they had received ii. We
decided it would take at least two days
for it to reach Austria and Rumania
and we decided it should be made pub
lie on Thursday morning Tuesday
about 6 o'clock copy of the note was
handed to Mr.. James, chief of the in
formation bureau. He at once took
it UP with the printing Office
1t was read by one man and then
sent to the printing Office.
AT about II o'clock | received the
newspaper correspondents and told
them that would have an important
communication for them at o'clock
to be released the next morning ! told
them in confidence rs was afraid its
contents might come back from
Europe in garbled form
That evening AT my house. Ambas.
sador Willard (of SPAIN told me he
had been advised Of the contents of
the note by the president and we dis
cussed the advisability of him address
ing Spain on the subject. The next
morning the note was made public
When was the first intimation YOU
had that there had been disclosure
of the contents Of the note?' asked