Today -100: May 9, 1917: Of state gags, u-boats, and non-revolutions

Secretary of State Robert Lansing prohibits State Department officials talking to reporters. The State Dept cites as examples of confidential news that has leaked without authorization a telegram quoting the German consul in Mexico claiming that the US ambassador was hissed in the Mexican Assembly.

Theodore Roosevelt is now giving speeches demanding to be allowed to raise a division and go to France. He says 9 out of 10 of those opposing him do so because they think he’ll do too good a job, whatever that means. We’d have so much winning we’d get tired of winning, I guess.

There have been a lot of rumors that the US has a secret plan to defeat German u-boats. Possibly involving an invention, possibly from Thomas Edison.

The NYT thinks there’s a revolution going on in Bolivia. There isn’t.

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