Confidential
Dear Jane Addams,
I think that you will like to hear what a good meeting the WIL had yesterday, Helena Dudley presiding at a lunch at the 20th Century Club w. Mr. Libby & Professor Sayre speaking on Arbitration. The best of it was that Mr. Libby, Mr Sayre, [Denys] Myers of the World Peace Foundation & I met this morning in Professor Sayre's office and talked of how the campaign had better be organized. We were in entire agreement.
We want a Committee of 100 (?) with big guns at the head organized for this specific purpose. They think money will be no difficulty if we can the type of men we hope for can be enlisted. They hope for Mr Hughes as titular head at least -- and Mr Myers & Mr Sayre will talk first of all with President Lowell. They will we think we should find out [page 2]
Mr. Libbys organization would be ready to go ahead & raise money, probably; or Mr Myers (World Peace Foundation) might do so or maybe Nicholas Murray Butler might take it up perhaps through the Carnegie organization. But we all felt the first step was to get the two or three or even one big man and see what they wanted done and how. Professor Sayres draft while it does not go so far as the W.I.L. would desire goes a long long way ahead of anything we have as a country have ever yet contemplated as possible.
I talked with Professor Sayre about the possibility of his modifying his draft to meet our position but he is not willing. He regards the League of Nations as the only proper agency to appeal to if mediation processes fail and thinks it better to suggest none than to suggest any other. [page 3]
And for to propose the L. of N. would render the whole plan [illegible]. So would, likewise, he holds, any other alternate suggestion for "buttoning it up" tight by proposing some other alternative reference.
My view which I expressed to him is
(1) that the W.I.L. should make it clear that it does not consider that his draft goes far enough
(2) that is should back ↑support↓ it as the most progressive proposal that is getting any backing and work hard for it
(3) I expressed my view that this attitude on our part, making this proposal appear as not extreme but moderate would be [as] so far useful to it.
As a matter of fact if we got only the first part of his proposal -- treaties agreeing to submit all justiciable questions to the World Court it would be a gigantic stride ahead of anything the Senate has ever been willing to do.
E G B [page 4]
About Mexico
Mr. Libby wants people to press to have the questions involved submitted to the World Court; he says that Mr. Kellogg states that they are questions of international law and equity -- i.e. exactly suited to such reference.
This seems to me admirable and I hope we may be able to keep [illegible] pressure exerted to this end
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