1092

January 29th, 1918.

Dear Mr. President:

Your recent letter to
me, in response to mine congratulating you
upon your inspiring references to Russia in
your address of January 8th last, was so
cordial in tone that I am emboldened to
write and reiterate the suggestion that
may possibly have been made to you, namely,
that you try to give a brief appointment
to Colonel W. B. Thompson, so that he may
have the opportunity of giving to you direct
his views as to the present situation in
Russia.

Let me explain that
Colonel Thompson is an old Exeter school
friend of mine, and in the thirty years
that I have known him, he has always been
sound, discreet and growing in wisdom. He
has been tested in many situations, and to
my knowledge has never been found wanting.
He is a man of unusual ideas and sometimes
of unusual and strikingly unique suggestions.
But we here have always found his views
guided by sanity and thoroughgoing common
sense.

When on the other side
recently I cabled him to come to London,
hoping that he might arrive there before
Colonel House's departure. He did not

41751