"If such reserve is necessary in my case, it seems to me that it also is
necessary for the country as a whole. The attitude of the President has
been impeccable. That of the whole American press and people should be
the same.
"Especially is it true that all Americans who hope to have influence, as
individuals, in shaping the events which will follow the war, must avoid
any expression which even might be tortured into an avowal of
partisanship or final judgment.
"Even the free expression of views criticising particular details of the
war, which might, in fact, deserve criticism, might destroy one's chance
of future possible usefulness. A statement which might be unquestionably
true might also be remembered to the damage of some important cause
later on.
"There are reasons why my position is, perhaps, more difficult than that
of some others. Talking is often a hazardous practice, and never more so
than now.
"The World is at crossroads, and everything may depend upon the United
States, which has been thrust by events into a unique position of moral
leadership. Whether the march of the future is to be to the right or to
the left, uphill or down, after the war is over, may well depend upon
the course this nation shall then take, and upon the influence which it
shall exercise.
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