Early that year one of the passengers aboard the SS Deutschland, Prince Heinrich of Prussia, brother of the German Kaiser, attempted to send a wireless telegram thanking U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt for his recent hospitality.
[3] In response, the German government sent out diplomatic notes asking selected countries to participate in a conference addressing the issue of international radio communication.
[1] The resulting conference convened in August 1903 in Berlin, and was attended by representatives from nine countries: Germany, Austria, Spain, the United States of America, France, Hungary, Russia, Great Britain and Italy.
Because they primarily used Marconi equipment, both Great Britain and Italy made qualifying declarations that they did not fully support this interconnection proposal.
[5] It was planned that a follow-up full convention would be held in Berlin the next year to expand on the issues discussed by the original conference.