March 23 Wednesday – This day saw the formation of the English Congo Reform Association by Dr. Henry Grattan Guinness (1861-1915); Edmund Dene Morel (1873-1924), British journalist, author and socialist politician; and Roger Casement (1864 -1916), Irish patriot, poet and British consul. Casement’s 1904 report on the Congo led to demands for action and the formation of the Assoc. Ultimately, the investigations led to the 1908 formation of the Belgian Congo. Clemens was somewhat active in the American Congo Reform Assoc. for a sixteen month period, but bowed out of further responsibility in it on Jan. 8, 1906 and Feb. 10, 1906 resignation letters to Dr. Thomas S. Barbour, an officer in the American wing of the Association..
Sam’s notebook: “Countess Gristori (night—9 or 10)” [NB 47 TS 7].
Francis H. Skrine sent Sam a postcard picturing St. Petersburg, Russia: “Present aspect of St. Petersburg. F.H. Skrine 23.3.04” [MTP].