Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-28
GERMANY READY
TO MAKE KNOWN
ITS PEACE TERMS
Will Do So on First Day of
Any Conference That
May Be Held.
PROMISE HELD TO MEET
PRESIDENTS SUGGESTIONS
Teutonic Diplomats Do Not
Think He Intended to Draw
Public Declaration.
POLICY OUTLINED At EMBASSY
Belief Growing That Entente Will
Declare There Must BE Military
Solution to War.
PROMISE HELD TO MEET
PRESIDENTS SUGGESTIONS
POLICY OUTLINED AT EMBASSY
rRy Associated Press. ]

|
| WASHINC;TON December c7-Jn
spite Of tho wide gulf between tho In
Sisterce Of the central powers fo,. an
| immediate peace conferences. and the
! forecast Of unanimous refusal by tho
! entente allies to enter such confer
"nce without knowing Germany.s
terms in advance. the American gov
ernmcnt believes that the negotiations
| i'll progress are resulting In good II
was SAID with authority tonight that
until tho door to peace actually Is
closed by one side or the other Presi-
dent Wilson will continue to hope that
any discussion OF the subject will tend
/ to hasten the end Of the war
Count Won Bernstorf. the German
ambassador. returning unexpectedly
| Tonight from New York authorized
I the Associated Press to make the fol-
lowing statement:
| ~ regard the note OF my govern
ment as constituting an acceptance OF
| everything suggested by President
| Wilson in his nutc to the bellligerent
nations of Europe
II was made clear at the embassy
that Germany stands ready to make
| known her terms on the first day OF
| any conference that may he held and
| officials expressed themselves as being
greatly surprised at the view prevail
| ing in some quarters here that the
| Berlin government had failed to meet
the Presidents suggestions by not set
| ting down i'll the reply the terms upon
which 1T is willing to make peace.
PRESIDENTS SUGGESTIONS
FULLY MET nY GERMANY
The German diplomats say Presi-
dent Wilson has no intention Of draw
Ing public declaration concerning
terms from the central powers On the
contrary, they think the Presidents
| suggestion that an early occasion be
sought to call out from all the nations
now at war such an avowal OF their
respective views as to terms upon
which the war might be concluded'
| has been fully met by Germany in
seeking an immediate conference with
her enemies
! The German policy upon which the
reply to President Wilson'S communf-
cation is based, was outlined as fol-
lows:
Germany feels that the conference
suggested by it first should he COM
posed of delegates from the belligerent
countries whose duty it would be to
settle territorial terms. Once these
terms are agreed upon. representatives
| of the neutralS should he called in to
participate in consideration Of the
questions Of guarantees for the future
| in which neutrals are as vitally con
cernrd as bciliEercnts. These guaran-
tees. in tho German view. neccssarily
would have to do with the freedom Of
| the seas. limited disarmament torma-
tion of "a world league of nations to
enforce peace and the establishment
of an international court of arbitra-
ton.
n t,,r St1 1a- y,,t
trail nations can have no interest OF
| their own in terms such as those re-
| latinE TO territory.
MAY SUGGEST TERMS
IN CONFIDENTIAL MOTIF,
While there were no official advices
upon the subject the view still per-
sisted in German quarters Tonight
| that the note Of the central powers
might be followed h.; some highly con-
! idential oral or written communica-
ton to President Wilson. in which n
least broad tentative terms might he
| stated.
/ In this connection officials noted with
interest Berlin press dispatches saving
| that Ambassador Gerard had taken
| lunch with Alfred Zimmerman. the
German Foreign Minister. and probably
discussed the peace situation with
! him.
! Count Won Bcrnstorfr's arrival In
| Washington was entirely unexpected.
! as he had not planned TO return uutil
I tomorrow. II is not improbable that
/ he viii visit the state Department
/ within the next few days to seek In
! formation for his government and fur
nish the administration with any he
/ may have.
Just what the United states could
/, do toward bridging the gulf in case
I tho allies hold to their opposition to
Il conference is the subject OF serious
no concrete proposal has been ad-
/ vanced. 1t is said officially that It
I even has not Yet been decided whether
this country will send on TO the entente
/ the reutonic reply to the Presidents
! or whether its mere publication hero
/ would be considered sufficient The
! official text OF this reply is awaited
and no further step is expected before
| il arrives.
ALLIES MAY DECLARE:
FOR MILTrARI SOLUTION
! That the allies will declare that
there must bc a military solution 10
! the war. both in their Eote to tho
! President aud in their reply 10 tho
| central powers. was tho growing be-
| lief here to-day. \ London dispatch
| to-day, following one from PetrogrRd
yesterday as we'll as intimations from
! both Paris and Rome that tho allies
! could not discuss peace until they
actually held tho territories they con-