The World Jewish Congress representative in Geneva, Gerhard Riegner, obtained information from a German manufacturer, Eduard SchulteΓÇöwho had connections in HitlerΓÇÖs general headquartersΓÇöindicating that Hitler had decided to systematically annihilate all of European Jewry, and that gas was being used to attain this goal. After Riegner gathered further information about his source, he approached the American Consulate in Geneva with the report. He handed the deputy-consul a cable and asked him to forward it to Stephen Wise, an American Jewish leader. The cable contained the information that Riegner had obtained from Schulte concerning the plans for the murder of European Jewry. The State Department received the cable, but decided not to transmit messages from "private individuals". On August 28, the second addressee of the cable, Sidney Silverman, a member of the British Parliament, sent a copy of the cable to Wise. The Assistant Secretary of State, Sumner Welles summoned Wise and asked him not to disclose the information until it could be verified.
Wise agreed, yet he informed a number of cabinet ministers, President Roosevelt, Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and Christian clergymen.
On November 24, when the US government was finally convinced, Wise broke the news of the cable, together with other supporting information to the press.
Thus, more than another year passed until the information, which was already available, led to action.
