Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-08
LEAKS TO WALL STREET
COMMONEST THINGS"-
Contmud From

tive Chiperfield, that Alfred H. Curtis
was president of the National Bank of
North America, with which Charles
w. Morse and others were associated 2"
= do not" said Mr.. Tumulty.
The committee at that point decided
to Subpoena Alfred II. Curtis.
on are well acquainted with Ber-
nard Baruch?" resumed Mr.. Chiper-
field.
Yes, sir"
When did you last see him.
AT the Gridiron dinner in Wash
ington, December o.
did you come closely in contact
with him there?"
II sat about five seats away from
him and exchanged greetings with
HIM"
Did you have any private CONVEX
sation with him."
None at ALL"
Mr.. Chiperfleld then said there were
things not mentioned in Mr.. Tumulty's
letter which he wished to question him
about.
60 as far as you like" said Mr..
Tumulty.
DO yoL know j. B. Reagan, pro-
prietor of the Knickerbocker Hotel, in
New York;"
"I do not"
Asked If he ever had any business
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 Tu-
multy, "he wanted to buy some bonds
and wanted to know man whom L
could recommend. / introduced Mr..
Gerard to Mr.. Hibbs.
when was that, in reference to
when the peace note was sent?"'
Some time before"
In answer to further questioning by
Representative Chiperfield, Mr.. Tu-
multy said that he did not know the
date or the peace note nor when 1t
was transmitted to Secretary Lansing,
and then was excused
Secretary Lansing was called next.
Possibly 1 had better start" said
Secretary Lansing, by stating that L
assume that confidential communica-
tions between the President and my
self are not a part of the inquiry. 1
can give you a physical history of the
note. The draft of the note was re-
celVed by me from the White House
at o'clock Monday afternoon. 1
called Mr.. Polk, counselor for the de-
partment, and Mr.. Woolsey, law ad-
wiser, attached to my office and dis
cuSsed the three forms in which the
note had to be prepared and sent
forth. then handed it to Mr.. Wool
sey en1oining to the strictest secrecy
that he might take it to the three
confidential stenographers. There it
was to be prepared and delivered to
Mr; salmon, chief of the index bureau.
The index clerk" continued the
Secretary, was to encipher the note
and said that it would take so long
to cipher the three notes that he would
nave to have an assistant. l 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
We're given the copies at o'clock and
at 2:3O Tuesday morning (Decem ber
I'D the notes were enciphered, de-
llvered to the telegraph room and sent
On Tuesday afternoon l discussed with
the President the time when the note
should be made public. The reason
for secrecy was the courtesy due to
the nations who were to receive the
note that it should not be published
here before they received it. We de-
cided 1t would take at least two days
for 1t to reach Austria and Rumania
and we decided it should be made pub
lie on Thursday morning. Tuesday
evening about o'clock a COPY of the
note was handed to Mr.. James, chief
OF the information bureau. He at once
took 1t up with the printing office.
1T was read by one man and then
sent to the printing office.
AT about IL o'clock 1 received the
newspaper correspondents and told
them that l would have an import
ant communication for them at five
o'clock to be released the next morn
ing. | told them in confidence as l
was afraid it's contents might come
back from Europe in garbled form,
Further l thought it courteous not
TO make 1t public until it had been
received by the countries to which n
was addressed. l told them 1t did
not contain any proposal of peace nor
offer of mediation"