Copy #1
February 9, 1915
My dear Mrs. Barrett: --
I did not have time at our hurried meeting the other day to talk to you about Mrs. Catt's plan. May I quote the following from her letter: --
"What would you think of this proposal: Let us take up correspondence, I with the Auxiliaries of the Alliance, Mrs. Barrett with the International Council of Women and Miss Gordon with the International Women's Christian Temperance Union."
"Let us make the proposal that as soon as the war is closed and settlements are to be arranged, an international conference of women shall be held which shall present resolutions, appeals, or whatever may seem best at the time to the group or groups determining the terms of peace"
"If this was to be done at all, all the arrangements would have to be made in advance and the women of the different countries would have to give their approval. I doubt very much if we can get word or delegates from many of them, but we ought to be able to gather the [page 2] women from the chief of the warring countries. This looks to me to be more satisfactory than to attempt any international action at this time. If, meanwhile, we have developed our own American Woman's Peace Party to a status of real influence, it would go far as an international power. In any event, I am going to propose this as a tentative plan to the National Union of Great Britain. It would be only a private proposal".
Would you be willing to undertake this so that we might see what could be done unofficially towards keeping the women together? I am also writing to Miss Gordon, and if the three great international bodies could begin some unofficial correspondence in this direction, we should have the basis upon which we might proceed later!
This is, of course, only a tentative proposal and if it does not meet with your approval we will, I am sure, quite understand.
Hoping that I may be more fortunate in seeing you the next time you come to Chicago, I am
Sincerely yours,
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