Jane Addams to Lucia Ames Mead, December 28, 1914

Dec. 28, 1914.

My dear Mrs. Mead,

At the invitation of Mrs. Catt, I am uniting with her to call together a number of women's organizations to meet in Washington January 10th to consider the organization of a National Peace Committee of Women. A number of such committees have already been organized in American cities as the result of lectures given by Madame Schwimmer and Mrs. Pethick Lawrence. The Washington group has arranged for the meeting to be held January 10th, and hope to have representatives from the other cities in attendance, calling the gathering a preliminary meeting looking toward the organization of women throughout the country into a Peace Movement.

It has seemed best not to issue a general call, but to write informal letters in the name of Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt and myself to the various national organizations of women who have standing Peace Committees and to the various Peace Societies. We are expecting much help from Mrs. Lucia Ames Mead and Mrs. Anna Garland Spencer as well as other women who have long been identified with the peace movement.

I am enclosing a copy of the resolution adopted by the Chicago Emergency Peace Committee which might easily be used as a basis of discussion but if it is better to keep it more distinctly a woman's movement, we could discuss Madame Schwimmer's resolution and Mrs. Pethick Lawrence's terms of peace, or a third proposition which I also enclose. [page 2]

Hoping to hear from you soon, and that you may approve of my action, which, however, I have fears may seem rash to you, I am,

Very sincerely yours,

Jane Addams [signed]