going to the
railway stations. An indescribable crowd so blocked the streets
about the Admiralty, the War Office, and the Foreign Office, that
at one o'clock in the morning I had to drive in my car by other
streets to get home.

The next day the German Embassy was turned over to me. I went to
see the German Ambassador at three o'clock in the afternoon. He
came down in his pajamas, a crazy man. I feared he might literally
go mad. He is of the anti-war party and he had done his best and
utterly failed. This interview was one of the most pathetic
experiences of my life. The poor man had not slept for several
nights. Then came the crowds of frightened Germans, afraid that
they would be arrested. They besieged the German Embassy and our
Embassy. I put one of our naval officers in the German Embassy, put
the United States seal on the door to protect it, and we began
business there, too. Our naval officer has moved in--sleeps there.
He has an assistant, a stenographer, a messenger: and I gave him
the German automobile and chauffeur and two English servants that
were left there. He has the job well in hand now, under my and
Laughlin's supervision. But this has brought still another new lot
of diplomatic and governmental problems--a lot of them. Three
enormous German banks in London have, of course, been closed. Their
managers pray for my aid. Howling women come and say their innocent
German husbands have been arrested as spies. English, Germans,
Americans--everybody has daughters and wives and invalid
grandmothers alone in Germany. In God's name, they ask, what can I
do for them? Here come stacks of letters sent under the impression
that I can send them to Germany. But the German business is already
well in hand and I think that that will take little of my own time
and will give little trouble. I shall send a report about it in
detail to the Department the very first day I can find time to
write it. In spite of the effort of the English Government to
remain at peace with Austria, I fear I shall yet have the Austrian
Embassy too. But I can attend to it.

Now, however, comes the financial job of wisely using the $300,000
which I shall have to-morrow. I am using Mr. Chandler Anderson as
counsel, of course. I have appointed a Committee--Skinner, the