PERFECTING A MESSAGE OF WAR

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2266

PRESIDENT SPENDS ENTIRE DAY ON WAR MESSAGE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 100 years ago today, April 1, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson "spent almost the entire day in his study perfecting (his) war message."

In a front page story in The Chicago Daily Tribune of April 2, 1917, Arthur Sears Henning wrote...

"War with Germany is now the purpose which dominates the executive and legislative branches of the government" and "war measures have become the question of paramount importance."

Mr. Henning wrote that it was "universally accepted" that the President would deliver a message of war to a joint session of the Congress of the United States and that the Congress would "endorse his recommendations by an overwhelming majority."

Henning reported that a war declaration had been put together by Democratic members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the last House of Representatives.  The committee had used the declaration of war against Mexico (1846) as their model.

The front page story also indicated that while the President had not made a decision on compulsory military service, he was "disposed to raise an army by increasing the regular army and the National Guard to war strength."


SOURCE

"War Resolution Ready," by Arthur Sears Henning, The Chicago Daily Tribune, April 2, 1917, www.archives.chicagotribune.com/

Portrait/Photograph of Woodrow Wilson

by Arnold Genthe

August 7, 1916

Elisa.rolle

www.wikimedia.org/

US CONSIDERS MORE FORCEFUL ACTION VS GERMAN SUBS

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2244

MERCHANT SHIPS MAY FIRE ON SIGHT & WITHOUT WARNING

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 100 years ago today, March 10, 1917, a Wilson administration official said...

"If arms are not sufficient to protect American ships from unlawful attacks by German submarines, it will be necessary to adopt more forceful measures."

The "forceful measures" discussed within President Wilson's cabinet included sending American submarines to join Allied forces.

Arthur Sears Henning* wrote in The Chicago Sunday Tribune of March 11th that the President was well aware of the "grave possibility, if not...probability" of war with Germany.

According to Mr. Henning, the proximity of a German submarine to an armed American merchant ship would be considered sufficient to "fire on sight" and "without warning."  It would still be a few days until armed American merchant ships would take to the seas.

*Arthur Sears Henning (1876-1966) passed up a college degree to take a position with the Chicago Tribune in 1899.  He was assigned to the paper's Washington bureau in 1909 & became head of the bureau in 1914.

ASH covered 24 Republican & Democratic national conventions as well as the Bull Moose convention of 1912.  He became friend of 9 US Presidents of which he liked Calvin Coolidge the best but rated TR, Wilson & FDR as outstanding.

ASH retired as bureau chief in 1949 & upon his death was described as one of the great newspaper men of his time, the dean of Washington correspondents.

SOURCES

"Fire On Sight Orders Issued To US Ships," by Arthur Sears Henning, March 11, 1917, The Chicago Sunday Tribune, www.archives.chicagotribune.com/

"Tribune's Arthur Sears Henning Dead at 89," The Chicago Tribune, January 22, 1966, www.archives.chicagotribune.com/

Submarine "U-14"

Bain News Service (1910-1915)

Library of Congress Photo

US GOVERNMENT EMBARKS ON A COURSE OF WAR WITH GERMANY

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2243

PRESIDENT WILSON BYPASSES CONGRESS, ARMS AMERICAN SHIPS

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 100 years ago today, March 9, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson bypassed the United States Congress and issued the order to arm American merchant ships for protection against German submarines.

Arthur Sears Henning wrote in The Chicago Daily Tribune the following day that the President made the decision to take the action when he was informed he had the power by Secretary of State Robert Lansing* and Attorney General Thomas W. Gregory** and after he was convinced Germany was carrying out a "campaign of ruthlessness" via submarine warfare.

Mr. Henning wrote that the President's action, along with his call for an extra session of Congress to be assembled on April 16, "indicates the government is embarking upon a course which may lead to war with Germany."

Tribune readers were also alerted to the administration's call for "all loyal Americans to support the government without question and to maintain silence upon the plans for the protection of Americans..."

*Robert Lansing (1864-1928) was born in Watertown, NY & educated at Amherst College.  RL was legal adviser to the State Department at the outbreak of WWI & served as President Wilson's Secretary of State from 1915 to 1920.

**Thomas Watt Gregory (1861-1933) was born in Crwfordsville, Mississippi & graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1885.  He served as President Wilson's Attorney General from 1914 to 1919.

SOURCE

"Put Veil On Ship Arming, Navy Active To Meet The U-Boat Crisis," by Arthur Sears Henning, The Chicago Daily Tribune, March 10, 1917, www.archives.chicagotribune.com/

Robert Lansing

42nd US Secretary of State

Harris & Ewing Photo

Library of Congress Image

Thomas Watt Gregory

Attorney General

Photo by The Elliotts (1913)

Library of Congress Image