Boston, November 20, 1917
My dear Mrs. Hull:
I have just been spending the night with Mrs. Forbes, at whose house Mr. Angell has been a guest. I am dismayed to find that his manager had absolutely promised that he should not speak in Philadelphia until after the date of our meeting as he has an important engagement there at a later date.
In accepting your invitation to speak, Mr. Angell had understood that his address was to be given at Swarthmore. He is very much afraid that there can be no [rearrangement]. Evidently, it would not do for the whole audience to be transferred to Swarthmore, and we shall therefore have to find a substitute for the evening meeting. Mr. Angell, however, will come over from Madison, N.J. where he speaks on the morning of the 6th. and will come to our afternoon session and give us a valuable private talk, from which reporters must be excluded. He will discuss our policy as a Peace Society and say some of the important things which he said to our Massachusetts Branch this week. We have been conferring with him about drawing up a statement, feeling that his knowledge of the public mind and of our situation, made him a most useful advisor. I think that he can help us to unite on a policy which can be accepted by both wings of our organization. He feels with many of our members here that it is very desirable that we should clear away misunderstandings and make ourselves plain before the public. He perhaps will do us a greater service in this way than if he spoke in the evening, though much as I regret his inability to do so.
Of course, it is possible that his management would consent to his giving an informal talk from the floor as a part of the discussion after Dr. Lynch's speech. This idea has just occurred to me and I have not conferred with Mr. Angell about it. We could not however advertise him on the program.
At this moment I do not know whom we could get, but advise your telegraphing Dr. Lynch and asking him to secure a substitute among his [coworkers]. I shall see Dr. Lynch on Friday in New York and will try to further the matter there. I shall be Thursday night at 350 West 55th. Street, care of Mrs. Dennett.
I shall send carbons of this letter to Mrs. Post and Miss Addams.
Hoping that you have made all of your arrangements satisfactorily, I am
Cordially yours,
Lucia Ames Mead [signed] [page 2]
P.S. Naturally I should personally like to ask Professor Hull to speak, but perhaps for this meeting it might be better to have some one from out of town, and one not so distinctly known as an extreme pacifist.
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