Carbon for Miss Balch from A. T. Post
December 10, 1918.
Dear Miss Addams:
Your letter of the 6th, with copy of your letter to Mrs. Taussig, came yesterday. I cannot understand how Miss Lathrop could have thought that the "Five" were not going abroad. I had, as you know, a long talk with her, and I had no idea that she had that impression. In support of the idea you discussed with Dr. Shaw and Mrs. Catt, of five women to be in Paris during the Peace Conference, representing various women's interests. I can bring suggestions of Judge Siddons of this city, who called me up over the phone the other day to express the hope that we of the [Woman's] Peace Party were getting our delegates over as planned. He is an officer of the American Peace Society, and they have sent Arthur D. Call over already; and other Peace men from England and here, perhaps more from the [A. P.] Soc., are to be in Paris to help create sentiment. He felt that this was very important, even if resolutions from the bodies represented did not get to the Peace Conference. He was very insistent on the value of intelligent women over there, for the atmosphere, if for nothing else.
I have today received your letter to Dr. Jacobs, and it seems to me just right, except that it leaves action to be held up here until you shall have heard from Dr. Jacobs. I suppose that cannot be helped, and so I did not telegraph you, as Mrs. Karsten suggested that I should do if I thought of any change that might be made in it. The only difficulty is that you may be so very long in doubt as to what they may decide to do. I received on the 4th a letter from The Hague dated October 2. Perhaps as it is now working out, if the Congress is decided on for the first week in February the "Five" can go over with the "Thirty", leaving the arrangements for the Congress and the Delegates to be made by our friends over there.
Would you like to have me go to the Department of the State and say that I am thinking of asking for a passport later in order to go over perhaps about the middle of January, and ask how much time I ought to allow for getting the Passport? Then I could go to the steamboat office here and ask about January steamers, and how long ahead bookings would have to be made, and whether they would make bookings before the passport was actually issued.
Mrs. Mead's letter called "The Present Crisis" is fine, though I don't like the title very well.
I have never quite explained to you why I didn't do any better about getting an answer to Miss Balch's letter to you. The fact was I could not read your [penciled] note on Miss Balch's letter. It seemed as if you wanted me to telephone you, but I didn't know where to. I am afraid I made a great deal of trouble for her, and in the telegraphing the wording got mangled any way. I think everything is all right now.
I happened to meet Mrs. Terrell the other day, so I explained the situation. She was very much interested and felt that there was no reason why she should not want to go with us, and very many reasons why she should. Since then she has spoken with the people for whom she is undertaking some reconstruction work, and they wanted to see exactly the invitation before they could decide whether or not to give her up for the necessary time; so I have written out an invitation for her and sent it. I enclose a carbon. I will also send a carbon to Mrs. Mead, with a carbon of this letter to you. And [I] will send a carbon of this letter also to Miss Balch.
Faithfully and affectionately yours,
A T P [initialed]
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