Theodor Herzl travels to Constantinople, negotiates with Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II regarding a charter, and publicizes the meeting with the Sultan in various Zionist circles. Herzl meets with banker Benno Reitlinger in Munich and proposes the Ottoman suggestion of Jewish immigration to Asia Minor and Mesopotamia, which Reitlinger considers too costly and risky. Journalist Leopold Greenberg suggests that Herzl appear before the Royal Commission on Alien Immigration in London.
Herzl informs the Sultan of the availability of 3 million francs, and the Sultan approves the Rouvier project. This is followed by correspondence with Ottoman officials regarding the deal. Against the resistance of some members of the Actions Committee, particularly Menachem Ussishkin, Herzl authorizes procurement of three letters of credit to deposit in Ottoman banks.
