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of other countries, and also discriminating against 
our commerce with her. I courteously replied on each
occasion expressing the desire of this Government in
every feasible manner and as early as feasible to enter
upon satisfactory trade arrangements with all countries
so disposed, and that Germany in this respect was placed 
in the same deferred class with England, Canada, and
a majority of the nations of the world.
 
 
Germany, during the past summer, repeated her
trade agreement proposals as stated, but, while paying
other countries both her debt and trade balances, she
flouted our nationals and declined in any trade conversations 
that might take place to indicate with the slightest
definiteness or detail or method any terms to which she
might agree, either to pay our nationals or to cease
discriminating against oum commerce under our commercial
treaty with her.
 
 
In the meantime reports constantly came to
the Department to the effect that we would in any event 
be forced to sell Germany our cotton and perhaps some
copper, lard, etc. The Department at the same time
strongly believed, as it still does, that the reverse
was true and that Germany would first be forced to buy
at least 500,000 bales of cotton from the United States,
 
 
and