The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-01-08

Representative Campbell asked MI.
Tumulty if he knew that Mr.. Wood
asked for an executive session to make
his statement bringing in Mr.. Tumul-
tvs name last week.
IT wish you wouldn't ask me any
thing about Mr.. Wood" replied Mr..
Tumulty, heatedly. II would be
ashamed to be party to anything
that would blenish the reputation OF
q public man on a mere letter written
by a man named Curtis. If I were
guilty of SUCH s-thing wsulG not be
fit to hold the smallest public offica."
Representative Lenroot, Republican.
asked Secretary Tumu1ty how the
President sent the peace note to Sec
retary Lansing. Mr.. Tumulty said 1t
was transmitted in sealed envelope
by private messenger.
"Do you know asked Represents
tive Chipperf1eld, "that Alfred II. Cur
tbs was president of the National Bank
of North America, with which Charles
w. Morse and others were associated? ~
ST do not said Mr.. Tumulty.
The committee at that point de-
eided to subpoena Alfred II. Curtis.
'"You are we'll acquainted with Ber-
nard Baruch ?" resumed Mr.. Clipper
field.
Yes ,f.>
"When did you last see him ?"
"At the Gridiron dinner in Wash
ington, Dec. g."
"Did YOU come closely in contact
with him there?"
ST sat about five seats away from
him and exchanged greetings with
him. "
Did you have an, private CONVEX
sation with him" .t.,
None at ALL"
..Do you know J. B. Reagan. propr1-
etor of the Knickerbocker hotel In
New York;
'I do not" ~
Asked il he ever had any business
transactions with W.. B. Hibbs and
Company, Washington brokers, or had
ever frequented their place OF busi-
ness, Mr.. Tumulty said he had been
there once.
Before Ambassador Gerard re-
turned to Germany recently" said Mr..
Tumu1ty, ''he wanted to buy some
bonds and wanted to know a man
whom I could recommend. 1 intro
duced Mr. Gerard to Mr.. Hibbs.'
In answer to further questioning by
Representative Chipperfield, Mr.. Tu-
multy said he did not know the date
Of the peace note nor when 1t was
transmitted to Secretary Lansing and
then was excused.
Secretary Lansing was called next
Possibly I had better start said
Secretary Lansing, 'by stating that
assume that confidential communica-
tions between the president and my
self are not a part OF the inquiry. I
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.
st called Mr.. Polk, counsellor FOR
the department, and Mr.. Wooisey, law
adviser attached to my office, and dis
cussed the three forms in which the
note had been prepared and sent forth.
I then handed it to Mr.. Woolsey and,
enjoining him to the strictest secrecy,
that he might take it to the three con-
fidential .stenographers. Where it was
to be prepared and delivered to Mr..
Salmon, chief of the index bureau.
1.-The index clerk continued the
secretary, was to encipher the note
and said it would take so long to ci-
pher 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
given the copies, and the two men
locked themselves in the room. They
were given the copies at o'clock, and
at 2:30 Tuesday morning Dec. 19) the
notes were enciphered, delivered to the
telegraph room and sent.
'On Tuesday afternoon 7 discussed
with the President the time when the
note should be made public. The rea-
son for secrecy was the courtesy due
the nations who were to receive the
note that it should not be published
here before they received It, We de-
cfded it would take at least two days
for it to reach Austria and .Rumania,
and we decided It should be maos
public on Thursday morning. Tuan-
lcontanaaed en- RAEa q