My dear Mr. Tumulty:

New York, N. Y.,
April 10th, 1919.

We are very much troubled over the report that the Monroe Doctrine amendment to the Covenant is being opposed by England and Japan. Will you be good enough to send the enclosed to the President? We had a meeting today of the Executive Committee of the League to Enforce Peace, and Dr. Lowell and I, at the instance of the League, will be glad to have this matter presented directly to the President by cable.

Friends of Covenant are seriously alarmed over report that no amendment will be made more specifically safeguarding Monroe Doctrine. At full meeting of Executive Committee of League to Enforce Peace, with thirty members from eighteen States present, unanimous opinion that, without such amendment, Republican Senators will certainly defeat ratification of treaty because public opinion will sustain them. With such amendment treaty will be promptly ratified.

WILLIAM H. TAFT.

A. LAWRENCE LOWELL.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Washington

14 April, 1919.

Dear Mr. Taft:

I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the tenth instant, and to say that I have transmitted to the President by cable the message enclosed.

Sincerely yours,

J. P. TUMULTY, Secretary to the President.

Hon. William H. Taft,

Washington, D. C.

WILLIAM H. TAFT

WASHINGTON, D. C.

May 5, 1919.

My dear Mr. Tumulty:

I am very much troubled that this conference at Paris was unable to adopt a provision in favor of religious freedom throughout the world. There is no necessity for such a resolution in respect to the allied countries, because there is now religious freedom there. The acute necessity for it is with respect to Poland, Rumania, and those other new States carved out of Russia, Austria and Germany. I would like, therefore, to have you transmit to the President, as coming from me, a cable message of the following purport:

"The Jews of the United States are greatly disturbed over reliable reports coming to them of continued abuses of their coreligionists in Poland, Rumania and in the new Slav States created under the auspices of the conference. Is it not possible to impose on these States, as a condition of their recognition and membership in the League, the maintainence of religious freedom under their respective governments? What was done in the

Berlin Conference of 1879 ought to be possible in the more favorable atmosphere of this conference, with the additional securities of performance that the League will give."

I understand that unless something of this sort is done, there will be a strong movement among the Jews to attack the League and I do not need to tell you that there are men in the Senate who will seize every opportunity of this kind as an instrument to defeat its ratification.

Let me acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the fifth of May quoting a message regarding religious freedom which you wish me to transmit to the President. I am doing so to-day by cable.

Hon. William H. Taft, 931 Southern Building, Washington, D. C.

Sincerely yours,

J. P. TUMULTY, Secretary to the President.

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