. . . Judge Day was a good deal troubled [today] by the statement in one of the papers that the French yellow book contained a declaration that our occupation of Manila was only provisional. He had procured a copy of the yellow book, and found that while the protocol and the correspondence relating to it were all right, the French Foreign Office in drawing up a summary of the negotiation for the information of its ambassadors at other courts, had carelessly overlooked the clause relating to the subsequent decision by the Joint Commission as to the control, disposition and government of the Philippines. We discussed the best means of setting this right, and finally agreed that our Ambassador should call M. Delcassé’s attention to it, believing that he would then set it right, and recognize that it had probably been the oversight of one of the Foreign Office clerks. He accordingly left me to consult Gen. Porter about it. Frye and Gray subsequently came in and spent the morning in chat about the situation. Gray inclined to the belief that the Spaniards would break off rather than surrender the Philippines. Frye like myself thought it rather more probable, though by no means certain that the money bait would hold them. …
Whitelaw Reid
(October 27, 1837 – December 15, 1912) journalist, politician, diplomat. Member of the Peace Commission representing the United States in negotations with the Spanish government to conclude the treaty ending the Spanish-American War.
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