Part 19 (1/2)

Let us look at it from the point of view of postponeotiations stretched out through the winter, the te, with the preparations hout the winter, would incline the militaristic eleotiations _It seems, therefore, that the ti their force_

As to the Procedure:

It seeerent should be put in the position by your note of weakening or of suing for peace, for we must keep in mind the pride and sensibilities of all The initiative must be ours--to all nations, on equal ter that fro the Entente powers the Governerent powers are willing at least to discus suggestions for peace, each only reserving to itself liberty of action The United States can, therefore, announce that it is willing to overn peace, _and for establishi+ng a world court or international tribunal to safeguard the peace of the world after the close of the war_

In the latter, namely, _world peace_, the United States has a direct interest The United States can in the note assume that commissioners willto the contrary

My idea is to go ahead with the plan on the theory that all the belligerents are in accord with the idea, so that in answering our note they will not have accepted anything but our proposals to discuss, first, the suggestion of peace, and, secondly, the idea of a world court

The President should say, in order to elicit the syeneral, that the note of the United States suggesting abetween the poill be made public within a few days and after its receipt by the respective powers This will give each government not only its own public opinion to reckon with, but the public opinion of the civilized world The nation that objects to a discussion of peace will by no means be in an enviable position

I hope you will read the article I a you by Mr Strunsky, ”Post Iin It is fro the alternative proposition of a world court Your note setting forth your position in this matter should be an appeal to the heart and to the conscience of the world

TUMULTY

Evidently the President seriously had been considering this veryreply to my note:

THE WHITE HOUSE WAshi+NGTON

DEAR TUMULTY:

Thank you for the estions I have read it very carefully and findvery reat deal of serious thinking about it all

Faithfully, W W

The President, through the State Department and various instrumentalities to which he had access for infor in touch with the Ger what the Gerame ith reference to peace, and to the various offers which he wasHe knew that the German peace offers were overnment of Germany to avert a resuestures on the part of the German Government made to bolster up the morale of the German people and that these German offers did not indicate the real desire for peace on equitable terms, as subsequent events showed, but that they were the terht itself the victor, and, therefore, in a position ruthlessly to dictate a final settleested that he should ignore these offers But the President iser than those around hi the German bid at its face value, and he finally called upon Ger to consider a settlement for peace There was another reason for the President's patience Foreseeing an inevitable crisis with Ger of our shi+ps, he was fully conscious that he could not draw the whole country with hi to war he had not tried out every means of peace While his enemies denounced his meekness and apparent subservience to German diplomacy, and while some went so far as to characterize his conduct as cowardly, he serenely moved on and forced Germany to a shon He not only asked Gerive to the world their statement of what they considered the basis of peace

One of the phrases in his note to the Allies which caused great irritation was that ”neither side had stated the object for which the war had been started” While he was criticized for this at the time, it did just what he intended it to do It forced Germany openly to avohat she believed to be the basis of peace, and gave the Allies their chance, as if they were being forced to do it by the Aht would be a just settlement

In the latter part of January Gerin, on February first, unrestricted submarine warfare in the zone around the British Isles, and undertook to specify the route which a restricted nuh this zone

I vividly recall the day the associated Press bulletin reached the White House I took it immediately to the President as at his desk in his private office As I entered, he looked up fro, casual inquiry in his eyes Without comment I laid the fateful slip of paper on his desk, and silently watched him as he read and then re-read it I seemed to read hisfeatures: first, blank auilty of such perfidy; then gravity and sternness, a sudden grayness of colour, a co of the jahich always characterized hi the paper back to me, he said in quiet tones: ”This means war The break that we have tried so hard to prevent now seeress, announcing the severance of diplo his hope that Germany would pause before it was too late On February 26th, the steamshi+p _Aneona_, with Americans on board, was sunk, and on the next day the President addressed Congress, suggesting the proclamation of armed neutrality as a final effort to apply pressure to the Government of Germany, to show that the United States was in earnest and would protect its rights against lawless attacks at sea; but these measures failed Germany seemed bent upon a break with us, and on April 6, 1917, in response to a memorable address delivered by the President on April second, the Congress of the United States declared solemnly that a state of war existed between the United States and the Ie, the President said:

It is a fearful thing to lead this great, peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeht is s which we have always carried nearest our hearts, for deht of those who subovernhts and liberties of sht by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has coht for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured God helping her, she can do no other

I accompanied the President to Capitol Hill on the day of the delivery of his war e, and on that fateful day I rode with him from the Capitol back to the White House, the echo of applause still ringing in my ears

For a while he sat silent and pale in the Cabinet Roo” [he was speaking of the people ere lined along the streets on his way to the Capitol] ”Mye it seems to applaud that”