Passport 1915, Berlin, US Ambassador Gerard

Passport Berlin Ambassador Gerard
The United Press (UP) reported on Feb. 5, 1915 – Every American in Berlin is preparing for war between the United States and Germany. News of the break in diplomatic relations was first printed in an extra issued at noon Sunday by the Berliner Newspaper – Am Mittag. The report spread like wildfire through Berlin. Americans telephoned the grave news to each other and called up the American embassy for further information.

Lusitania Incident

The British ocean liner, Lusitania, was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. The British Admiralty had warned the Lusitania to avoid the area after threats were made by Germany that they were prepared to sink ships. But the crew refused to heed these warnings. The ship was carrying munitions for the Allies, although it was unarmed. The attack resulted in the loss of more than 1,100 passengers and crew, including 124 Americans. The following note was sent by President Wilson under the signature of Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan.

Department of State, Washington, May 13, 1915

To Ambassador Gerard: Please call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs and after reading to him this communication leave with him a copy. Considering recent acts of the German authorities in violation of American rights on the high seas which culminated in the torpedoing and sinking of the British steamship Lusitania on May 7, 1915, by which over 100 American citizens lost their lives, it is clearly wise and desirable that the Government of the United States and the Imperial German Government should come to a clear and full understanding as to the grave situation which has resulted. Read more…

Biography of Gerard Passport Berlin Ambassador Gerard

James Watson Gerard III, born on August 25, 1867, passed away on September 6, 1951. He was a lawyer, diplomat, and justice of the New York Supreme Court.

Gerard was born in Geneseo, New York. His father, James Watson Gerard Jr., was a lawyer and Democratic Party politician in New York. And his grandfather, also James Watson Gerard, was a noted trial lawyer and civic reformer in New York. He graduated from Columbia University (A.B. 1890; A.M. 1891) and from New York Law School (LL.B. 1892).

Gerard served as the chairman of the Democratic campaign committee of New York County for four years. He spent another four years serving in the National Guard of the State of New York, including during the Spanish–American War in 1898, where he was part of General McCoskry Butt’s staff. From 1900 to 1904, he held the position of quartermaster with the rank of major in the 1st Brigade of the Guard. In 1907, he was elected to the New York Supreme Court, where he served as a judge until 1911.

U.S. Ambassador to Germany

Under President Woodrow Wilson, Gerard served as the American Ambassador to Germany from 1913 to 1917. In 1914, Gerard was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from New York, representing Tammany Hall. He defeated Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Anti-Tammany candidate, in the Democratic primary but ultimately lost the general election to James W. Wadsworth, Jr.

World War I

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Gerard took on the responsibility of overseeing British interests in Germany. He visited the camps where British prisoners were held and made significant efforts to improve their conditions. His duties expanded further when German interests in France, Britain, and Russia were entrusted to the American embassies in those countries, turning the American embassy in Berlin into a sort of clearinghouse. Through his direct observations, Gerard resolved the contentious issue regarding the German government’s official stance on the violation of Belgian neutrality, a topic of much debate among the Germans themselves.

At the request of Gottlieb von Jagow, following the fall of Liège, Gerard acted as an intermediary to offer the Belgians peace and indemnity in exchange for allowing German troops to pass through their country. On August 10, 1914, the Kaiser entrusted Gerard with a telegram addressed personally to President Wilson, stating that Germany had to violate Belgian neutrality for strategic reasons. A high-ranking German official requested that the telegram be sent privately to the President rather than being made public as the Kaiser had intended. Gerard’s position became increasingly challenging after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, which resulted in the deaths of many U.S. citizens, on May 7, 1915.

The End of Diplomatic Relations Passport Berlin Ambassador Gerard

In January 1917, the German government requested that Gerard leave the country. Diplomatic relations were severed on February 3, prompting his departure from Germany. He was temporarily detained due to rumors that the German ambassador in America was being mistreated, and German ships had been seized. Once these rumors were disproven, he was permitted to leave. Gerard retired from diplomatic service in July 1917.

In a speech, Gerard recounted an interaction with the Foreign Minister of Germany, who remarked, "Your country does not dare do anything against Germany because we have in your country five hundred thousand German reservists [emigrants] who will rise in arms against your government if you dare to make a move against Germany." Gerard replied, "That might be so, but we have five hundred thousand – and one – lamp posts in this country, and that's where the reservists would be hanging the day after they tried to rise."

Gerard’s Review of Hitler’s Mein Kampf

In 1933, Gerard reviewed Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf for The New York Times Book Review. His critique occupied the entire front page of the section and continued inside. Gerard began by acknowledging Hitler’s contributions to Germany, including “his unification of the Germans, his destruction of communism, his training of the young, his creation of a Spartan State animated by patriotism, his curbing of parliamentary government, so unsuited to the German character; his protection of the right of private property,” which he described as positive.

However, he strongly condemned Hitler’s anti-Semitism, stating, “We all have a right to criticize and boycott a nation that reverts to the horrible persecutions of the Dark Ages. We have a right to form a blockade of public opinion around this misguided country.” Gerard concluded with a somber reflection: “It is with sadness, tinged with fear for the world’s future, that we read Hitler’s hymn of hate against that race which has added so many names to the roll of the great in science, in medicine, in surgery, in music and the arts, in literature, and all uplifting human endeavor.”

Gerard died on September 6, 1951, aged 84, in Southampton, New York. He was interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York City.

The Documents Passport Berlin Ambassador Gerard

• Emergency passport 1915 issued to Paul F.A. Schulze Berge, his wife Laura, and daughter. Ambassador Gerard signed and stamped the passport.
• Document issued by the American Consular Service in Cologne in Nov 1915 that the persons in the photographs are also American citizens. With this document, they are allowed to apply for American passports in Washington.
• A large photograph of the Schulze-Berg siblings (7), namely Maria, Paul, Elli, Alexander, Adelheid, Herman and Agnes

A fantastic document set documenting world war one travel between Germany and the United States.

Saxony Passport 1910 issued by the War Department

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