And no men have ever been more splendidly justified by events.

The Anglo-American situation of 1914 contained dangers before which all believers in real progress now shudder.

Had Anglo-American diplomacy been managed with less skill and consideration, the United States and Great Britain would have become involved in a quarrel beside which all their previous differences would have appeared insignificant.
Mutual hatreds and hostilities would have risen that would have prevented the entrance of the United States into the war on the side of the Allies.

It is not inconceivable that the history of 1812 would have been repeated, and that the men and resources of this country might have been used to support purposes which have always been hateful to the American conscience.

That the world was saved from this calamity is owing largely to the fact that Great Britain had in its Foreign Office a man who was always solving temporary irritations with his eyes constantly fixed upon a great goal, and that the United States had as ambassador in London a man who had the most exalted view of the mission of his country, who had dedicated his life to the world-wide spread of the American ideal, and who believed that an indispensable part of this work was the maintenance of a sympathetic and helpful cooeperation with the English-speaking peoples.
FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 90: In a letter addressed to "My fellow Countrymen" and presented to the Senate by Mr.Chilton.] [Footnote 91: This was in October, 1914.