Schiff replied that he would happily sit down with Plehve—and could be in St. Petersburg as soon as that fall—if the Russian government would meet several conditions. Refusing to appear before Plehve as a “suppliant,” he requested a direct invitation from the interior minister. And he also declined to enter Russia by special permission—the government would have to abolish its restrictions on Jewish-American passport holders before Schiff would consider setting foot in the country. The negotiations never progressed further.
