New Britain herald., 1917-07-05
ELkUS DENIES TALE
 0F AUSTRIAN LOAN
Had Never Heard Story Of %,-
 O00,000,000 Peace Bait

New York, July 5.-Abram I. FL kus, United States ambassador to Turkey, arrived in this country yes terday, accompanied by his wife, three children and a trained nurse. Relatives and members of the Mayors committee, headed by Ralph T. Stanton and George Featherstone, met him and notified him of the re- ception at City hall in his honor at noon today. The Battery near Pier A. was thronged with persons at tracted by the squad of police and motorcycle policemen under Police Inspector Myers awaiting the arrival of the launch patrol with the am- bassador and his party. MT. Elkus looked bronzed and we'll as he walked down the gangplank to the pier and showed no signs of the fever with which he was attacked in Constanti nople.
 'I am perfectly recovered from my illness" he said "and have enjoyed good health on the voyage across, which was pleasant with fine weather and no incident to speak of. At noon today I had a very pleasant sur
 
 the grand saloon on the liner, where I found twenty French officers repre- senting all branches of the service in their full uniform waiting to salute the United States on Independence Day. The Colonel of Artillery who acted as spokesman said he and his brother officers wished on this day to express their thanks to the United States through me, its representative on board, for the way the country had entered the war and the energetic manner in which American troops had been rushed to France in such a short time. The officers compre- hended me on my being an American and said that Americas joining the Allies would mean the shortening of the war. Then they all stood to at tention and saluted the American flag hung in the saloon. I returned the compliment to the French flag
 Never Heard of Loan.
 When asked about the report sent from Berlin that the ambassador had offered the Austrian government op the part of the United States. a loan of $2,0OO O000,000 if Austria would withdraw from the war and that the offer had been declined, MT. Elkus replied:
 This is the first I have heard of any such proposal and there is not a word of truth in it. I cannot speak of any diplomatic matter connected with my post until I have reported to the state department at Washing ton, and I expect to go there. to- morrow afternoon after the Mayors s reception at the City hall. On my way home from Constantinople I spent two days at Berne, in Switzer- land, where l found the hotels filled with people but. not the regular tour ists one met there in summer before the war. There was no shortage of food in Switzerland that I could mo- tice and the people seemed to be making a good deal of money.
 Tn Paris I found the French people had recovered from the gloom. caused by the withdrawal of the Russian l army from action on the eastern i front and rejoiced by the entry of 1 America into the war and\the arrival of Major General Pershing and his l staff. l can say without any exag- | geration that his receptions every where in the French capital was most enthusiastic, and in the receptions he | 1 French officials of every degree. l was present when General Pershing g l visited the senate chamber and the chamber of deputies and heard Vii l viani make the address of welcome It was a remarkable scene and a very gratifying one for an American to witness The general was also 3 1 guest at a luncheon given in my honor on June 22 by President o1 the Council Ribot.
 During my stay in Paris l had the opportunity of visiting the French front and spent a day near St. Quen' tin, within four miles of the first line of trenches. Even at that distance the continuous roar of the heavy artillery was deafening tQ. those unaccustomec tos the sound. INYill not know wha1 my plans are definitely until I have been to Washington
 Major H. L. Newbold, U. S. A. mil itary attache at Constantinople; A Van Engel, United States Vice Consu at Constantinop1e, and Irvine T. Ian zy, United States Vive Consul at Bru ga, Turkey, were also on the lne1 with the ambassador and accom-
 panied him on the Patrol to the Bat
 terv. MT. Elkus went to his home a
 Seabright.