Page had made one unsuccessful attempt to bring the American State Department and the British Foreign Office into personal contact.

At the moment when American irritation had been most keen over the blockade and the blacklist, Page had persuaded the Foreign Office to invite to England Mr.Frank L.Polk, at that time Counsellor of the Department; the Ambassador believed that a few conversations between such an intelligent gentleman as Mr.Polk and the British statesmen would smooth out all the points which were then making things so difficult.

Unfortunately the pressure of work at Washington prevented Mr.Polk from accepting Sir Edward Grey's invitation.
But now a greater necessity for close personal association had arisen.
The United States had entered the war, and this declaration had practically made this country an ally of Great Britain and France.

The British Government wished to send a distinguished commission to the United States, for two reasons: first, to show its appreciation of the stand which America had taken, and secondly, to discuss plans for cooeperation in the common task.

Great Britain frankly admitted that it had made many mistakes in the preceding three years--mistakes naval, military, political, and economic; it would welcome an opportunity to display these errors to Washington, which might naturally hope to profit from them.