Pity me and hold
up your end for real American participation. Get together? Yes; but
the way to get together is to get in!

Affectionately,

W.H.P.

_To David F. Houston_[54]

Embassy of the United States of America,
April 1, 1917.

DEAR HOUSTON:

The Administration can save itself from becoming a black blot on
American history only by vigorous action--acts such as these:

Putting our navy to work--vigorous work--wherever and however is
wisest. I have received the Government's promise to send an Admiral
here at once for a conference. We must work out with the British
Navy a programme whereby we can best help; and we must carry it
without hesitancy or delay.

Sending over an expeditionary military force immediately--a small
one, but as large as we can, as an earnest of a larger one to come.
This immediate small one will have a good moral effect; and we need
all the moral reinstatement that we can get in the estimation of
the world; our moral stock is lower than, I fear, any of you at
home can possibly realize. As for a larger expeditionary force
later--even that ought to be sent quite early. It can and must
spend some time in training in France, whatever its training
beforehand may have been. All the military men agree that soldiers
in France back of the line can be trained in at least half the time
that they can be trained anywhere else. The officers at once take
their turn in the trenches, and the progress that they and their
men make in close proximity to the fighting is one of the
remarkable discoveries of the war. The British Army was so trained
and all the colonial forces. Two or three or four hundred thousand
Americans could be sent over as soon almost as they are organized
and equipped-provided transports and a continuous supply of food
and munition ships can be got. They can be trained into fighting
men--into an effective army--in about one third of the time that
would be required at home.

I suppose, of course, we shall make at once a large loan to the
Allies at a low rate of interest. That is most important, but that
alone will not save us. We must also _fight_.

All the ships we can get--build, requisition, or confiscate--are
needed immediately.

Navy, army, money, ships--these are the first