Austro-Hungarian Reply to President's Wilson's Peace Note, December 26, 1916

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WWI Document Archive > 1916 Documents > Official Communications and Speeches Relating to Peace Proposals 1916-1917 > Austro-Hungarian Reply to President's Wilson's Peace Note, December 26, 1916


Austro-Hungarian Reply to President Wilson's Peace Note, December 26, 19161

                    Ambassador Penfield to the Secretary of State

                                             [TELEGRAM]

                                                            AMERICAN EMBASSY,
                                                       Vienna, December 26, 1916.
     Following, dated December 26, received to-day from Austro-Hun-
garian Ministry for Foreign Affairs:

                                          "AIDE MEMOIRE

     "In reply to the aide memoire communicated on the 22d instant
by His Excellency the American Ambassador, containing the pro-
posals of the President of the United States of America for an ex-
change of views among the powers at present at war for the eventual
establishment of peace, the Imperial and Royal Government desires
particularly to point out that in considering the noble proposal of the
President it is guided by the same spirit of amity and complaisance
as finds expression therein.
     "The President desires to establish a basis for a lasting peace with-
out wishing to indicate the ways and means. The Imperial and Royal
Government considers a direct exchange of views among the bellige-
rents to be the most suitable way of attaining this end. Adverting to
its declaration of the 12th instant, in which it announced its readiness
to enter into peace negotiations, it now has the honor to propose that
representatives of the belligerent powers convene at an early date at
some place on neutral ground.
     "The Imperial and Royal Government likewise concurs in the
opinion of the President that only after the termination of the present
war will it be possible to undertake the great and desirable work of the
prevention of future wars. At an appropriate time it will be willing
to cooperate with the United States of America for the realization of
this noble aim."

                                                                           PENFIELD.


1Official print of the Department of State.