Part 40 (2/2)

During the winter of 1919-1920 President Wilson was the target of vicious assaults Mrs Wilson and Aderness to take a leading hand in the fight over the Peace Treaty in the Senate, and to organize the De basis It was not until after the Chicago Convention had no the soleations of the United States to the rest of the world that the President broke his silence ofhe wanted to say to the country he asked me to send for Louis Seibold, a trusted friend and an experienced reporter, then connected with the New York _World_ When Mr Seibold arrived in Washi+ngton on the Tuesday following Mr Harding's noth with him, discussed the Republican Convention, characterized its platform as ”the apotheosis of reaction,” and declared that ”it should have quoted Biston and Lincoln” During the two days of Mr Seibold's visit to the White House he had abundant opportunity to observe the President's condition of health which had been cruelly misrepresented by hostile newspapers Mr Seibold found hiiven to understand and ressive as he had been before his illness Mr Seibold's article, which by the as regarded as a journalistic classic and for which Columbia University awarded the author the Pulitzer prize for the best exa of the year, exposed the absurd rumours about the President's condition and furnished coht for the principles to establish which he had struggled so valiantly and sacrificed so much

As the days of the San Francisco Convention approached those of us ere intimately associated with the President at the White House arned by hiht soon to take place we must play no favourites; that the Convention must be, so far as the White House was concerned, a free field and no favour, and that our attitude of ”hands off” and strict neutrality must be maintained Some weeks before the Conventionthe nominations, and ad that it had always been charged in the past that every adanization of the party to throw the no to me of the matter, he said, ”We must make it clear to everyone who consults us that our attitude is to be impartial in fact as well as in spirit Other Presidents have sought to influence the naht about scandals and factional disputes that have split the party This ive the impression that we favour this or that man”

This attitude was in no way an evidence of the President's indifference to the noht happen at San Francisco

He was passionately anxious that his party's standard bearer should win at the election if for no other reason than to see his own policies continued and the League of Nations vindicated

There was another and personal reason why he insisted that no White House interference should be brought into play for any particular noht of in connection with the nomination, and therefore the President felt that hethat we keep hands off, for anything that savoured of nepotism was distasteful to him and, therefore, he ”leaned backward” in his efforts to maintain a neutral position in the Presidential contest and to take no part directly or indirectly that ive aid and comfort to the friends of his son-in-law While Mr

McAdoo's political eneround of his relationshi+p to the President, as aevery effort to disassociate hi in favour of McAdoo's candidacy While every effort was being ive the i used to advance his candidacy, the President was engaged wholly in ignoring Mr McAdoo's candidacy

Every fahter, paid the White House, was distorted in the newspaper reports carried to the country into long and serious conferences between the President and his son-in-laith reference to Mr McAdoo's candidacy I know froe that the matter of the nomination was never discussed between the President and Mr McAdoo And Mr McAdoo's real friends knew this and were greatly irritated at what they thought was the gross indifference on the part of the President to the political fortunes of his own son-in-law So meticulously careful was the President that no one should be of the opinion that he was attes in Mr McAdoo's behalf, that there was never a discussion even between the President and h we had canvassed the availability of other Democratic candidates, as well as the availability of the Republican candidates

I had often been asked what the President's attitude would be toward Mr

McAdoo's candidacy were he free to take part in the can My only answer to these inquiries was that the President had a deep affection and an ader with each day's contact with him He felt that Mr McAdoo's sye h sense of public service

And while the President kept silent with reference to Mr McAdoo, the basis of his attitude was his conviction that to use his influence to advance the cause of his son-in-laas, in his opinion, an improper use of a public trust

That he was strictly impartial in the matter of Presidential candidates was shohen Mr Pale to the President with reference to his [Pal that he would be a candidate and would so announce it publicly if the President had no objection; or that he would resign from the Cabinet if the announcement would embarrass the President in any way, and that he would support any reat office

I conveyed this e to the President and he requested me to notify Mr

Palmer that he was free to do as he pleased, that he had no personal choice and that the Convention ht and that he would gladly support the nos, the perinia, and Mr Colby, Secretary of State, called upon the President at the White House previous to taking the train for San Francisco to inquire if the President had any estion in the matter of candidates or platforestions to offer

Thus, to the end, he maintained this attitude of neutrality He never varied fro of the Convention to its conclusion There was no direct wire between the White House and the San Francisco Convention, although there were frequent long-distance telephone calls fros, and others to me; never once did the President talk to any one at the Convention At each critical stage of the Conventionthe President to say soe that would break the deadlock, but no reply was forthco He remained silent

There cas at the Convention had reached an i hand of the President could break the deadlock

I was inforhtest intimation from the President would be all that was necessary to break the deadlock and that the Convention would nonated

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THE WHITE HOUSE WAshi+NGTON

26 September 1920

My dear Governor:

I think I have found a suitable way to begin our attack if you care to take part in this can The whole country is filled with the poison spread by Lodge and his group and it has to do principally with the attacksto consult anyone about possible changes in the Treaty and your reluctance toward suggesting to your associates on the other side changes of any kind

George Creel and I have examined the cables that passed between you and Mr Taft and we have prepared a statement which is attached to this letter This statement, with the Taft cables will be a knockout (I know that Mr Taft is already preparing a book on the Treaty which will carry these cables) and will clear the air and sho conte stories We have carefully gone over the Covenant and find that nearly every change suggested by Mr Taft was made and in coe Creel is of the opinion that the statened) Tumulty