The sun., 1917-01-01
Spanish Reply Falls Like %
Bomhshell on Official
Circles. . .tf'
IT'S FLAT REFUSAL
CAUSES SURPRISE
"AnOther Communication
Laid to Directions to !
American Charge.
PRESIDENTS PLEA
BACKED BY GREECE
Entente's Official Answer
Received in Spite Of
a Denial.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.-With the ofi>
eial text Of the Entente's rejection Of
Germany's peace proposals before him
and with the Spanish note disclosing
the fact that this Government sought
support in Madrid for the American
plea. President Wilson IS reported to-
night to have decided upon hands
off, policy. at least for the immediate
future.
He still is understood to hone that
the course of events in the next few
weeks will rectify the apparently seri-
Gus mistake which this Government
made in appearing to indorse the we'll
planned campaign of the German Ems
peror.
The developments OF the day were
the fact that the Entente note has beeu
officially received by the state De-
partment. that the note from Spain had
been received and that Greece had
given notice of its intention of indors-
ing Fundamentally the Presidents
plea. The support promised from
Greece Is particularly enthusiastic be-
cause OF the quarrel between Greece
, and the Entente.
B0mbshell From spain.
The news of the Ententes decisiot
was expected in view of diplomatic au-
vance advices, but the Spanish note, the
reception of which Secretary Lansing
announced Tonight came like bomb
shell to official Washington. Interest
centred in the statement by the Spanish
Government that besides the note sent
by President Wilson to the belligerents ic
had received another communication
in which it is said that the moment is
opportune for action by the Govern
ment of His Majesty in support of tho
attitude taken by the Govern Ient OF
the United States
This was at once assumed in EntentS
diplomatic circles to mean that Presi- |
dent Wilson had been in secret COM
munication not only with Spain bu1
with other neutral Governments in hts
efforts to gain support for the peace pro-
posals which Berlin so heartily desires
and which the Entente SO bitterly re-
sents.
Officials OF the State Department who
have said all along that there had not
been the slightest intimation on the parC
OF the Government of the United States
that the support of any neutral nation
was desired" denied Tonight that =.
second note had been sent to Spain. This
was in line with the policy of denial
now being followed by the Admnistrs-
ton. which even declared tonight that
the Ententes official note had not been
received. As mater OF fact, TIE SuN
correspondent ascertained that the off,
cial text of the Entente note came il
last night, and that the Spanish note, in
official form, carries the same reference
to another communication" o. tne
| United States as the press reports.
what Really Happened.
What really happened was this. Whe1
Secretary Lansing despatched the iden-
| tic memorandum, as the President
! peace note to belligerents and neutrals
| is officially called, he also directed ths
/. American Charge d'Affaires in Madrid
| to deliver 10 the Spanish Government
"a commuI,ic:.u addressed particularly
TO Spain and asking for the cooperation
of that Government in the American
| plea.
! Whether this communication TO Spain
would be officially described as a note
/ or an aide nemoire or an Informal COM
| muncation is not known here tonight.
| But the fact remains that Spain dill
receive a supplementary communication
from the United States asking for ins
dorseu,ent Of TIE peace step.
But officials here say privately thaJ
they cannot understand why Spain mans
a point of making this confidential facd
public at this delicate stage OF the
negotiations. The only explanation
| volunteered Is that Spain, being In an
| attitude of unfriendliness to Germany
over the submarine controversy, likes
! wise declined to accord a very friendly
reception to the Presidents effort which
was construed as tending 10 help the