130 POWER UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW. 



resident diplomatic representative of a foreign nation has usually 

 resulted in a demand for the recall or in the dismissal of the rep- 

 resentative as in the case of the British Minister Lord Sackville who 

 was led to communicate his views of the impending presidential 

 election to an American correspondent.* Foreign ministers who 

 have tried to talk over the head of the government directly to the 

 people have been sharply rebuked. The government requested the 

 recall of Citizen Genet whose misconduct in that direction became 

 notorious^ and in the later case of the Spanish minister Yrujo, 

 Attorney General Lee said : ® 



" A foreign minister here is to correspond with the Secretary of State 

 on matters which interest his nation and ought not to be permitted to resort 

 to the press. He has no authority to communicate his sentiments to the 

 people by pubHcations, either in manuscript or in print, and any attempt to 

 do so is contempt of this government. His intercourse is to be with the 

 executive of the United States only upon matters that concern his mission 

 or trust." 



More recently Ambassador Bernstorfif's newspaper warning to 

 American citizens to keep off of the Lusitania was referred to by 

 Secretary of State Lansing as " the surprising irregularity of a 

 communication from the Imperial German Embassy at Washington 

 addressed to the people of the United States through the news- 

 papers." "^ 



14. National Organs of Government other than the President or 

 his Representatives may not communicate. 

 The United States has likewise taken steps to prevent its organs 

 of government other than the President, from communicating with 

 foreign governments. President Grant's veto of two resolutions 

 passed by Congress in response to congratulations on the Centennial 

 Exposition of 1876 is typical of the fate of such resolutions of 

 Congress. " The Constitution of the United States," wrote Pres- 

 ident Grant, " following the established usage of nations, has in- 



* Pres. Cleveland, Annual Message, Dec. 3, 1888, Richardson, Messages 

 of the Presidents, 8: 780, Moore, Digest, 4: 537-548. 



5 Moore, Digest, 4, 487. 



6 Lee, Att. Gen., i Op. 74 (1797), Moore, Digest, 4: 682. 



■^ Mr. Bryan, Sec. of State, to Mr. Gerard, Ambassador to Germany, 

 May 13, 1915, U. S. White Book, European War, No. i, p. 76. 



